


She Brings Me the Music

by seaunicorn



Category: Orphan Black (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-23
Updated: 2015-09-06
Packaged: 2018-01-26 05:06:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 35,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1675784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seaunicorn/pseuds/seaunicorn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cosima Niehaus is the rebellious older sister of a child violin prodigy who's tired of being forgotten.  When she meets a young pianist named Delphine, who's never broken a rule in her life, she gets a taste of Cosima's world and realizes she likes it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Cosima was an unconscious, hungover heap in her bed when her mother barged into her bedroom late in the afternoon.

“Honey, have you been in bed all day?” she asked, lips creasing into a frown.

Cosima groaned and peeked out from under the blankets, squinting with one eye open.  “What?”

“It’s 3 o’clock, we have to leave for your brother’s recital in an hour!”  Cosima groaned again, trying to form words.  “Cosima I can’t understand you when you do that.”

Cosima sighed and took the pillow off her head.  “That’s today?”

“Yes!  We’ve been talking about this for months!  You were so excited about it!”

“No, no, I am excited, I just…forgot.”  Cosima threw off her blankets and stumbled out of bed, scrunching her face when a splitting pain shot through her head.

“Okay, just be ready in an hour!”

“Got it!” Cosima called after her mom as she left and shut the door behind her.  “Shit.”  She rummaged through her desk drawers, looking for that bottle of Advil she kept for occasions such as this.  _What even happened last night?_ she thought.  She remembered… arriving at the party with Sarah and Felix.  She remembered dancing with that hot guy after her third drink (although, thinking about it now, she can’t even remember what he looked like).  She remembered having a joint with Felix.  Then she started to lose track of things around the seventh drink or so.

Cosima checked her phone and according to her last text message from Sarah (“ _just made it home. i nominate anyone else to be DD next week_ ”) she had probably been dropped off a little before 4 in the morning.  That would explain sleeping in so late.  Cosima popped two painkillers in her mouth and swallowed, hoping that would help ease the splitting headache she had.

For the second time since she had woken up, someone barged into her room.  This time, it was her 12 year old brother, Dylan, dressed up in a little suit and tie, obviously ready for the recital earlier than anyone else.

“Cos, what are you doing?  You’re not even dressed yet!”

“I know, I know!  Sorry, I slept in,” Cosima apologized, waving her hands around as she spoke.  “But don’t worry, I will be ready on time!”

Dylan frowned at her for a moment, then said, “Fine.  But make sure you shower first.  You smell!”  His face broke into a grin before he darted out of the room.

“Brat!” she shouted after him.

Nonetheless, Cosima lifted her arm and took a sniff.  _Ugh, maybe the kid was right for once._

An hour later, Cosima was freshly showered, in one of the two “nice” dresses that she owned (most of her dresses were far too provocative for events like this), and her headache had died down ever so slightly.  She made sure to eat a few slices of cold pizza before finishing her make up.

Her family piled into the car, with her dad behind the wheel, and her brother’s violin case got its own seat in between the two of them.  “You ready, kid?” her dad asked Dylan.  Dylan nodded excitedly.

“You’re gonna do great!” Cosima said, as the car moved out of the driveway and down the street.

When they arrived at the auditorium, it was still over an hour before the show.  Dylan had to get there early because he was performing.  “Cosima, honey, why don’t you save us some seats while we take your brother backstage?”

“Yeah, sure, whatever,” Cosima said.  She pulled out her phone and her earbuds to listen to music to kill time.  The auditorium was empty because it was still so early, so she snagged a few seats in the front row; her parents would be pleased.

Cosima lost track of time, but eventually her parents appeared, taking their seats and snacking on pastries.  “Where did you get those?” Cosima asked.

“Backstage,” her mother said between bites.  “They’ve got a table set up with food for all the performers and families.”

Cosima stared at them, hoping they would offer her something, but they didn’t.  “Well, _I’m_ family!  You didn’t think to get me anything?”

“Sorry honey,” her father said.  “Why don’t you go back and get something and see your brother really quick before the show?”

Cosima huffed, but still stood up and made her way backstage.  The back room was filled with a ton of kids, well, maybe they all weren’t kids, but everyone was under eighteen.  This was a recital for “young talent”, so basically it was a showcase of child prodigies, like her brother.  Her family had discovered Dylan’s musical talent when he was eight years old when he picked up their aunt’s violin and started playing.  He wasn’t good, by any means, but he was only eight and had never had a lesson.  Their aunt had seen the potential and insisted on paying for his lessons.  He learned fast, and he was something their entire family was proud of, showing up at all his recitals, giving him gifts, throwing him parties.  But because of that, no one really paid much attention to Cosima.  There was the child prodigy that everyone adored, and other kid who did nothing significant.  Sure, she was a straight A student, but that didn’t matter when her brother has been on tv.  She was… forgettable.  Cosima had gotten used to it, though, and she enjoyed the perks of having a prodigy for a brother, like her parents not caring where she went at night, and especially the free food at events like this.

Cosima looked around for the food table and spotted it across the room.  Standing in front of the food was a girl that looked just about Cosima’s age, sixteen, and _damn_ , was she gorgeous.  Her blonde hair fell in lavish curls around her shoulders and her perfect posture made her at least a head taller than Cosima, but slightly less while Cosima was in her heels.  Cosima headed across the room, not taking her eyes off the girl.

She grabbed one of the pastries and smiled, but before she could take a bite, and before Cosima could get there and talk this girl up, a middle aged woman, assumingly her mother, took the pastry from her hands, silently scolded her, and led her away from the table.  Cosima frowned.

Cosima arrived at the food table and before her thoughts could linger on the girl for too long, arms encircled her waist from behind, and a voice yelled, “Cos!”

“Hey, kid!  Get off!” she said, laughing and trying to push her little brother away.

“You just came back here for the food, didn’t you?” Dylan asked.

Cosima’s eyes widened and she gave the most overdramatic gasp she could muster.  “What?  Are you crazy?  The _only_ reason I’m back here is to support my little brother.”  As she said this, she snuck a pastry off the table and hid it behind her back.

“Oh yeah?  Then what’s that behind your back?”

“I dunno what you’re talking about.”

“You literally just grabbed a pastry and put it behind your back.”

Caught, Cosima slowly revealed her hands and the pastry in one of them.  “How the hell did that get there?!” she questioned.

Dylan just rolled his eyes.  “Idiot,” he said, and swiped the pastry from her hands.  He took a bite and ran off before she could catch him.

“Brat!”

Cosima heard someone giggle from a few feet away.  She looked up, and there was mystery girl, watching that interaction between Cosima and her brother.  Cosima felt the color rush to her cheeks, but she smiled and waved at the other girl.  Before she could bring herself to talk to her, the same woman from before dragged the girl off to another room.  Cosima huffed while grabbing a new pastry for herself and she headed out of the room to rejoin her parents in the audience.

Cosima got back to her seat just in time because as soon as she sat down, the lights dimmed, and a booming voice welcomed them to the event and announced the first performer.  Some scrawny-ass kid with glasses came out with a cello that was probably bigger than him and he began to play.  Cosima yawned.  As much as she loved her brother, she hated the classical music the kids always played at these recitals.  She needed something with synthetic beats that her body could move to, or smooth lyrics that she could pay attention to.  This classical shit always blended together and she could hardly tell one note from the next—not that she was musically knowledgeable in any way at all, but still.  She found it hard to keep her eyes open, and by the third performer, she was falling asleep on her dad’s shoulder.

A strong finger poked her in the side and Cosima jerked her head up.  “I know you don’t like these concerts much, but at least try to stay awake,” her father said.

“Yeah, yeah, sorry,” she said.  “Won’t happen again.”

The current performer finished his song and while the audience applauded, the next girl was announced, and she came out with a saxophone.  She started her song and it was a little more jazzy, which helped keep Cosima awake.

“How long until Dylan performs?” she whispered.

Her dad flipped through the program until he found the order of performances.  “He’s fifth to last, so more toward the end,” he replied.

Cosima stifled a groan and turned her head back to the stage.

It seemed like an eternity, but ten performances later and after Cosima had dozed off at least two more times, the announcer said the name she had been waiting for.  “Up next…Dylan Niehaus.”  Her parents cheered enthusiastically, and Cosima joined them.  She was happy for her brother, after all.

Dylan came on and he looked so small compared to the vast stage surrounding him, but as soon as he started playing, he made up for that.  That kid’s skills with a violin could put… some famous violinist to shame… Cosima didn’t actually know the names of any famous violinists.  And after listening to him practice his performance for months, not so much struggling, but definitely improving each time, she was proud of her brother, finally getting to perform the finished product on this stage in front of hundreds of people.

When he finished, Cosima stood up with her parents, and she clapped and she whistled, and Dylan beamed at them, obviously thrilled from an excellent performance.  The announcer saying the next performer was her cue to sit down.

“And now we have Delphine Cormier.”

After Cosima took her seat, she glanced back up at the stage, and her breath was taken away when she saw mystery girl from earlier stroll into the spotlight.  _Delphine_.  She carried no instrument and instead walked up to the piano that was set up onstage.  _Of course she’s a pianist_ , Cosima thought.

Cosima’s heart thrummed faster in anticipation as she waited for Delphine to start playing, and when she did, wow.  Cosima was breathless for the second time since she walked onstage.  This girl was _good_.  Her eyes were closed like she was feeling the music and her fingers moved nimbly across the keys.  Despite the fact that she played that same classical music that Cosima usually hates, she found herself captivated the entire time.

Delphine’s performance was over far too soon for Cosima’s liking, and as she walked off the stage, Cosima found herself standing up and muttering to her parents, “I’m gonna go hang with Dylan the rest of the show, if that’s cool.”

Her parents nodded.  “Thanks for sticking through so much of if,” her dad said, but she didn’t hear him.  Cosima was already walking down the aisle heading for the backstage room.

When she arrived, her brother was nowhere to be found, probably in the bathroom, but neither was that woman that kept intercepting Cosima when she wanted to talk to Delphine, thank god.  She had just gotten back into the room and grabbed a bottle of water to drink.  No one was around her so Cosima took her chance and headed straight across the room to talk to her.

“Hey!” she said, startling the other girl, who almost spilled her water.  “Whoa, sorry!  I just wanted to tell you, you were really good out there.”

Delphine’s mouth opened ever so slightly in shock as she formed a reply.  “Oh, um, thank you.”

 _And she’s French_ , Cosima thought.  _Shit_.

“Yeah, totes,” she said.  “I’m Cosima, by the way.  Cosima Niehaus.”  She held out her hand and Delphine shook it.

“Delphine Cormier,” she replied.  “Enchantée.”

Cosima grinned.  “Enchantée,” she said, not caring if her accent sounded stupid.

“Niehaus, you said?” Delphine asked.  “That is the name of one of the other performers.”

“Yeah!  My little brother, Dylan,” she said.  “Violinist extraordinaire.”

Delphine nodded.  “Yes, he was very good!  I enjoyed his performance very much.”

“So, do you live around here?” Cosima asked.  “Usually we’ll see the same kids at least every few recitals, but I’ve never seen you before.  And you’re like, really good.”

Delphine smiled and her cheeks tinged red ever so slightly.  “Yes, although not for very long.  My family moves around a lot.  We go wherever the opportunities are.  We have only been in San Francisco a few months.  Although my father says it seems promising here so we might stay for a while.”

“Cool!  So are you enrolled in school yet?”

Delphine shook her head.  “No, I am homeschooled.  It allows more time for me to practice piano.”

“Wait, wait, wait, you’re homeschooled _and_ you’re new in town?  How are you supposed to meet people?  Ya know, like, friends?”

“I do not have time for friends,” Delphine said, and Cosima felt her heart break a little.  “My parents say relationships are trivial, especially when I need to be practicing.  And since I move around so much it can be hard to keep any friends I do make.”

“Well, that’s bullshit, so I’m gonna be your friend now, mmkay?” Cosima said.  Delphine giggled and Cosima made sure to commit the sound to memory.  “For real, though, you’re young!  Let’s hang out.  I’ll show you the places with the best food and we can go to a party and I can introduce you to some of my friends.  Have fun for once!”

Delphine smiled, and opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, another voice intercepted.  “Delphine, darling, what are you doing?”

It was the same woman from before.  She wore a fancy dress and spoke with a snooty attitude to match.

“Oh, maman, I was just talking to Cosima.  She has a brother who also performed tonight.  She is very nice.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Cormier,” Cosima said, trying to sound as charming as possible.  She offered her hand for a shake, but Delphine’s mom ignored it and simply looked her up and down.

“Yes, thank you,” she replied.  “Delphine, sweetheart, are you ready to leave?”

“The recital is not even over yet,” Delphine said.  “Besides, I am talking to Cosima.”

“Well your father needs to get home.  He has some work to do.  And you need to be practicing for your next performance, dear!”

“We don’t even have anything scheduled yet, maman,” Delphine said.  Cosima could hear the frustration in her voice.

“You can never have too much practice,” she said, with a tone of arrogance in her voice.

Cosima was about to butt in, but was saved from embarrassment when her parents and brother joined the conversation.

“You ready to go, hon?” her father asked.

“Uhh,” Cosima started.  She wanted to keep talking to Delphine, but if both of their parents wanted them to leave she wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep this conversation going, but she was going to try.  “Mom, dad, this is Delphine.  She was the pianist that went after Dylan.”

“Oh, Delphine!” her mother said.  “You were wonderful!”

“Very good,” her father added.  “You have a talent.”

“Thank you,” Delphine said, smiling politely.

“Anyway, Delphine was just telling me that she’s new in town and she’s home schooled, so I thought I could show her around a little and introduce her to some people.  If you’d like, Delphine?”

“Oui, yes!  It sounds like fun!”  Delphine nodded her head excitedly and glanced at her mother, who frowned.

“I’m not sure if that’s such a good idea, Delphine,” Mrs. Cormier said.

“ _Please_ , maman?” Delphine asked.

“You know,” Cosima’s mother interjected.  “You probably won’t find a better tour guide than Cosima.  She spends so much time out exploring, she probably knows this city better than our house!”

“Yeah,” her father continued.  “And it’ll be good for Delphine to make some friends while she’s here.”

All eyes were on Mrs. Cormier and she was backed into a corner.  “Alright, I suppose it should be fine,” she sighed.

 _Thank you, mother_ , Cosima thought.  _Thank you, father.  Thank you thank you thank you_.

“How’s Friday?” Cosima asked with a grin.

“Friday is perfect,” Delphine said.

“Delphine, you have practice until 6 on Friday.”

“Then I’ll come by at 7,” Cosima said.  “We can get dinner.  It’ll be great.  Can I get your number?”

Mrs. Cormier realized she couldn’t argue anymore, so she simply said, “Your father and I will be in the car,” and briskly walked out of the room.

“Yeah, we’ll meet you in the car Cosima,” her father said, and Cosima’s family left the room.

They stood in silence for a moment as their families left.  As soon as they were gone, Delphine spoke up.  “I am sorry about my mother,” she said.

“Nahh, don’t worry about it,” Cosima reassured.  “I’ve dealt with worse parents, believe me.  My ex-girlfriend’s family absolutely hated me and I’m still not sure why!”

“I can’t imagine,” Delphine said, with her lips quirked up into the smallest smile, “you are quite charming.”

“Hey, I try.”  Cosima flashed a grin and Delphine giggled again.  “So, phone number?  Don’t wanna keep them waiting too long.”

“Oh, yes!  I do not have my phone with me, but I can write it down for you?” Delphine said.  She grabbed a napkin from the snack table and found a pen, elegantly tracing the numbers onto it and handing it to Cosima.

“Cool, I’ll text you!”  Delphine nodded and smiled.  “Shall we?” Cosima asked, gesturing to the door.

They walked out to the parking lot together and turned to each other before going their separate ways.

“I will see you Friday?” Delphine asked.

“Yeah, totes.”

Delphine giggled again.  “Au revoir, Cosima,” she said, waving as she headed to her car.  Cosima grinned as she watched Delphine walk away.  Who’d have thought she would end the night with a hot French girl’s phone number?  _Best concert ever_.


	2. Chapter 2

“I thought you came to support me, but you were just flirting with that girl the whole time!”

“What?!” Cosima gasped.  “I was not _flirting_ , I was merely being friendly.”

“Looked like flirting to me,” Dylan said.

“Well you’re twelve, how would you even know what flirting looks like?”

“I just do.”

“Oh, _you just do_?  Whatever, kid.”

“Stop calling me kid!”

“Okay, brat.”

“Cosima!”

“Kids, stop fighting,” their mother finally intervened.  “Whether you were flirting or not is none of our business.  Delphine seems nice.”

“Thank you, mother!” Cosima said.

“And she’s very pretty,” her father interjected.

“Ugh, dad!”

“But like your mom said, none of our business.”

“Thanks.”

Cosima spent the rest of the night wondering how long she should wait before texting Delphine.

She didn’t text her until the next day.

Cosima had added Delphine to her contacts and spent most of her day at school staring at her phone with a blank message to Delphine open.  She didn’t notice Felix come up behind her until he had swiped the phone from her hands and looked at the screen.

“Ooh, who’s Delphine?” he asked mockingly.

“Felix, give it back!” Cosima said, lunging for her phone, but Felix darted out of the way.

“Not until you tell me who Delphine is.”

“Who’s Delphine?” Alison asked as she walked up, closely followed by her other friends, Sarah and Scott.

“That’s what I’m trying to find out!”

“Keeping secrets now, are we Niehaus?” Sarah called.

“Guys, shut up!” Cosima yelled.  “I’ll tell you, just give me back my phone!”

Felix frowned and stopped waving the phone around.  “You’re no fun,” he said.

That gave Scott the opportunity to take the phone and give it to Cosima.  “Here you go.”

“Thank you, Scott,” she said.  “Okay.  Delphine is just someone I met at my brother’s concert last night.  No big deal.”

“No big deal?  You looked like you were gonna cry when Fee took your phone!” Sarah said.

“Thanks, I really appreciate that,” Cosima said.  “Seriously, that’s it.  She’s new in town and doesn’t know anybody so I thought I’d show her around.”

“Show her around or get in her pants?” Felix asked.

“Felix, why are you always so vulgar?” Alison asked.  “I think that’s a very nice thing for you to do, Cosima.”

“But if that’s it, why were you staring at your phone with a blank message to her open?” Felix asked.  “Just say something for god’s sake!”

“I will!  In good time.”

“Or now?  Seriously if you don’t text her right now I will take your phone and do it myself, and trust me, you don’t want that.”

“Okay, okay!  Yeesh, when did you get so mean?”  Cosima glared at him as she pulled up the message on her phone again.  She was about to type, but felt four pairs of eyes on her.  “Guys, this would be much easier if you weren’t watching my every move.”  They all quickly averted their gazes, pretending like they hadn’t been watching, and Cosima was able to type out a quick message in peace.

_Hey Delphine! It’s Cosima. I just thought I’d text you so you could, like, have my number too_

There.  Short, simple, introductory.  It was fine.  She hit send.

“There, are you happy?”

“Very much so.”

Later that night, she received a text in response.

_Bonsoir Cosima! I am looking forward to Friday! :)_

The week seemed to drag on, with Cosima’s friends poking fun every chance they got.  But with each passing day she was another day closer to seeing Delphine again.

Finally, school ended on Friday afternoon and Cosima was almost shaking with excitement.  She texted Delphine, making sure they were still on and asking for her address.  Cosima couldn’t keep the grin off her face when Delphine responded.

“Calm down, loser, I thought you were just showing her around,” Felix said.

“I am!  Shut up.”

“Whatever.  Have fun on your date!”

“It is not a date!” she called after him as he rushed off to the opposite end of the parking lot.  “It’s not a date,” she said again, this time more to herself than anything else.

It wasn’t a date.  It was just two new friends who were hanging out.  That’s it.  Nothing to be worried about, and nothing to get your hopes up about.  Not a date.

Cosima got ready way too early and was left counting down the seconds until it would be appropriate to leave and arrive at Delphine’s house at 7.

Cosima tugged at her red coat nervously as she walked up to Delphine’s front door and knocked twice.  Delphine answered the door and Cosima once again had her breath taken away by the way her curled locks perfectly framed her face and the elegant smile that graced her lips.

“Cosima is here!” Delphine called through the door.  “I will be back later!”  She quickly darted outside and closed the door behind her before her parents could stop her.

“Bonsoir, Cosima!” she said excitedly.

“Hey!” Cosima grinned.  “You look great.”

“Thank you, so do you.”

“Um, anyway, my car is over here.”  Cosima pointed at the red truck parked at the curb and Delphine smiled.

“That is a nice car,” she said.

Cosima laughed.  “Not really, it’s a piece of shit.”

“Well, it, euh….it fits you.”

“Thanks,” Cosima said, and held open the passenger door for her.

Despite the traffic, they made it to Cosima’s favorite pizza place fairly quickly.  Parking was a bitch but Cosima was used to it.  They got a table by a window overlooking San Francisco Bay and it was kind of romantic.  Cosima quickly shook the thought out of her head.  _Not a date_.

“So they serve pizza here?” Delphine asked.

“Yeah,” Cosima nodded.  “Oh shit, you’re allowed to eat pizza, right?”  Delphine looked at her questioningly.  “Because, ya know, a lot of people who train for things, like athletes and stuff are on like, special diets and shit so they can’t eat pizza or whatever so that would really suck if I took you here and you can’t eat pizza because you’re—“

“Cosima,” Delphine cut her off, giggling.  “I am a pianist, not an athlete.  I can eat pizza.”  She smiled.

“Okay,” Cosima said.  “Good.”

They ordered a pizza that was half pepperoni and half vegetarian (“You’re not vegetarian, are you?  Because that might be a deal breaker on our friendship.”  “Non, I just really like olives and mushrooms.”) and split it.  They couldn’t finish the whole thing and there were three slices left, so Cosima took those in a box to go.

They got back in the car with full stomachs and parking fees validated.

“That was very good, Cosima,” Delphine said.  “Where to now?”

Cosima smirked at her.  “You ever been to a party, Delphine?”

Turns out, Delphine had not been to a party before.  At least, not the kind of party that Cosima was talking about.  The kind of party with pounding music and alcohol and dancing, sweating, horny teenagers.  No, Delphine had never been to a party like this before.

She followed Cosima into the house very closely, gripping tightly to her back as to not get lost or separated.  She followed Cosima to a room where they both shed their coats, to reveal the very tight, very short black dress that Cosima had been wearing underneath.  Delphine swallowed.  She suddenly felt so underdressed in her loose skirt and blouse, but Cosima didn’t seem to mind.  She grabbed Delphine’s hand and led her back out into the party.

They weren’t even out there for a minute, when a voice called Cosima’s name.

“Cos!  You made it!”  Sarah stumbled over with two red cups in her hands.

“Sarah!” Cosima said.  “Where’s Fee?”

“Couldn’t make it tonight.  He’s grounded.”

“Damn, that blows.”  Sarah nodded and emptied one of the cups into her mouth and let out a loud burp.  “I’m guessing you’re not driving tonight?”

“Nah, I got Alison for that.”

“How the fuck did you convince Alison to come to this?”

“I technically didn’t.  She’s sittin’ in her car reading right now.  Whatever, bloody loser.”  Sarah did a double take as she glanced at Delphine, as if noticing her for the first time.  “Oh, hello.”  Delphine smiled shyly.

“Delphine, this is Sarah,” Cosima said.  “Sarah, Delphine.”

“Ohhhh, _you’re_ Delphine!” Sarah said.  “Nice to meet you.”

“It is good to meet you too,” Delphine said, a little confused.

“Drink?” Sarah asked, offering Delphine her other cup.

Delphine shook her head.  “No thank you, I don’t drink.”

“The fuck do ya mean you don’t drink?!  Everyone drinks!  Here just take it.”  Sarah tried to force the drink into Delphine’s hands.

“And that’s our cue to leave,” Cosima said, grabbing Delphine’s hand again and leading her away from Sarah.  “Sorry about that.  She’s much more fun sober.  Sarah’s kind of an… aggressive drunk.”

“It’s alright.”

“Are you sure you don’t want a drink?  It’s usually what makes these parties fun.”

“No thank you,” Delphine said.  “If my parents found out they would be furious.”

“Are your parents here right now?” Cosima asked.

“No.”

“Well are you planning on telling them?  Because I’m not planning on telling them, so the only way they’d find out is if you told them.”

“No,” Delphine said.  “I just… I do not want to drink tonight if that’s alright.”

“Oh, no no no, it’s totally fine!” Cosima said.  “I wasn’t trying to pressure you into drinking or anything.  I just thought that it might be easier to have fun if you were a little more relaxed.”

“You don’t think I can have fun?” Delphine asked, mock offended.

“That’s not what I said!” Cosima defended.

“I can have fun without alcohol, watch!  Come, let’s dance.”  This time it was Delphine who grabbed Cosima’s hand and pulled her over to the room where people were dancing.

Delphine twirled out of Cosima’s hand and began to dance.  If you could call it that.  She moved clumsily and awkwardly; her hips were stiff and her arms flailed without inhibitions.

Cosima tried so hard not to laugh.  She really did.  But she failed.

“What is funny?” Delphine asked, offended.

“Nothing!  I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Cosima said.  “Just… maybe you should stick to playing piano.”

“Are you saying I can’t dance?”

“Not saying, just… implying.”  Delphine frowned and she was so cute Cosima wanted to kiss the pout right off her lips.  She shook the thought out of her head and continued.  “It’s just… people dance differently at these parties.”

“Well?  How should I dance?” Delphine asked.

Cosima opened her mouth, trying to explain, and closed it again.  It was easier to show than to tell, so that’s what she would do.  “Come here,” Cosima said.  Delphine took a step closer and Cosima turned around so her back was facing Delphine, and she began to dance.

Delphine watched her dance with a curious gaze.  The way this girl moved was incredible.  Her hips swayed sensually to the beats of the song and her arms moved—no, not moved—flowed through the air slowly and with purpose, her hands and fingers tracing invisible shapes in front of her.  With every beat she backed closer into Delphine’s space and suddenly Delphine was pressed against Cosima’s back, moving with her, hands on her hips, and Cosima was guiding her, and as Delphine moved her own hips into Cosima’s she realized she’s never felt so _alive_.

The phone in Delphine’s pocket vibrated.  She jumped back, away from Cosima, and reached for her phone, checking the caller ID.  It was her mother.  “Merde,” she whispered.

“What’s wrong?” Cosima asked.

“It’s my mother!”

“Oh, shit!  Do you need to go outside?”

Delphine nodded.  “I will be back,” she said, and made her way to the front door.

Standing in the front lawn of this house, the music was slightly muffled, and Delphine hoped it wasn’t loud enough to hear through the phone.  She answered on the last ring.  “Allô?”

“Delphine, where are you?!”

“What do you mean, maman?”

“It’s half past 10, you were supposed to be home thirty minutes ago!”

Delphine glanced at her watch, proving this to be correct.  “I am sorry, maman.  I lost track of the time.  I will be home soon.”

“Delphine, if this Cosima girl is a bad influence—“

“She’s not!  It was my fault, I’m sorry.  I will be home soon, maman.  Goodbye.”

She hung up before her mother could say anything else.

Delphine went back inside and quickly found Cosima.  “We have to go,” she said.  Cosima nodded and quickly followed her out.

“Did they hear the party?” Cosima asked.  “I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have brought you here, now you might get in trouble.”

“No, no, it is not the party,” Delphine said.  “I was supposed to be home thirty minutes ago.  It’s my fault, I did not tell you my curfew.”

“Oh, shit!  I’m sorry!  I’ll get you home quick, I promise.”

“Don’t apologize, Cosima.  As I just said, this is my fault.  You have nothing to worry about.”

Cosima drove Delphine home in silence, trying not to think about the dance they shared nor the resulting ache between her legs that she would have to take care of once she got home.

Cosima pulled up in front of Delphine’s house and shut off the car.  Delphine made no move to leave, so Cosima spoke up.  “Hey, I’m really sorry, again.  For making you late.  Next time we can just, like, go see a movie or something.  Much safer than a party.”

“No!” Delphine said, a little too quickly.  “I mean, I would like to go again, if that is alright with you?”

“Um, I mean, yeah, totally,” Cosima said.  “But they usually go kinda late and I don’t want you getting in trouble with your parents.”

“Well, my parents usually go to bed early.  The things that they do not know won’t hurt them.”

“Delphine,” Cosima mock gasped.  “Are you saying you want to sneak out to party with me?”

Delphine smiled.  “I am.”


	3. Chapter 3

Delphine went to face her parents with the promise of seeing Cosima again next Friday night at 11.  There was scolding and shouting and tears, but eventually Delphine made it up to her bedroom and was able to defer some of the guilt away from Cosima.

As soon as she got to her room, she pulled out her phone and called Cosima, like she had promised.

“Hello?” the other girl answered.

“Cosima,” Delphine said.  “It’s me.”

“I know.  So you survived?”

“Oui, I did.  And I think I was able to salvage your reputation with my parents, so they might let me see you again.”

“I thought you wanted to sneak out next time?” Cosima asked.

“Yes, but next Friday seems so far away,” Delphine whined.  “Can’t I see you before then?”

Cosima grinned.  “Well, I never have plans during the week, so as long as it’s not during school, I’m there.  Not that I actually care about skipping school, but—“

“Would you like to come over for dinner on Wednesday?” Delphine asked.

“What?  I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” Cosima said.  “Your parents don’t really like me, remember?”

“That is exactly the point.  If you come over for dinner, they will have to like you more!”

Cosima thought about it for a moment before she let out a long sigh and agreed.  “Fine, but if this doesn’t work out, it’s _your_ fault!”

“Alright, alright!  Whatever you say!”

“Okay, well, I should probably get off the phone now because I am still driving.”

“ _Cosima!_ ”

“’Night, Delphine!”

“Cosima get off the phone!  Bonsoir.”

Delphine hung up before Cosima could say anything else and get herself killed.

Now she just had to propose the idea of having Cosima over for dinner to her parents.  Delphine yawned.  But that could wait until tomorrow.

Delphine’s weekends were always taken up with practices and lessons, that she hardly had time to eat or think for herself, let alone bring up the idea of Cosima having dinner with them.

It was getting late in the afternoon on Monday and Delphine hadn’t had lunch yet.  She messed up some of the chords that she was playing and groaned, resting her head on the piano keys.  “Maman, can I please take a break?  I’m hungry, and tired.”

Her mother shook her head.  “Not until you get through the song without messing up.”

“I’m not even practicing for anything!  I have no recitals or concerts coming up!  Why can’t I just take a break?”

“That’s exactly why you can’t take a break,” she said.  “You need to practice so as soon as we can schedule something, you will be ready.”

“Maman, I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but no one is snapping at the opportunity to schedule me.  At least, not like they used to.  I was a _child_ prodigy, maman.  I’m not a child anymore.  Maybe my skills have not grown with me?”

“That’s not true, Delphine!  You are so talented!” her mother said.  “Do you remember what that girl’s family said at the recital?  They said you were very good!  _Talented_!”

“They were just being polite, maman.”

“No, no, what they said is true!” Delphine’s mother sat down next to her on the piano bench and put an arm around her daughter.  “You _are_ still talented, Delphine, and maybe it’s stopped showing because you’ve stopped believing that.”

Delphine was caught off guard by her mother’s sudden display of affection.  “Thank you.”

“And I wasn’t going to tell you until it was set in stone, but your father is working on getting you into this very prestigious showcase as we speak.”

“He is?” Delphine asked.  “Is it the Duncan Young Performers’ Showcase?”

Her mother nodded.  “That’s the one.  And you know what kind of talent they have there.  So we want you to be perfect when you perform for them.”

Delphine nodded.  The Duncan Young Performers’ Showcase was a renowned event to showcase young talent, from aspiring Broadway stars to dancers to pianists, like herself.  This would be a huge opportunity, and, like her mother said, she would have to be perfect.

“But, I suppose that’s enough for one day.  Come on, I’ll make you a sandwich.”

Delphine nodded and followed her mother from her rehearsal room to the kitchen.  She sat at one of the chairs on the island, facing her mother when she got out the bread and other amenities for a sandwich.  Neither of them said anything for a moment, and her mother was in a good mood.  Delphine knew it was unlikely she would get another opportunity like this, so she spoke up.

“Maman, there was something I wanted to ask you.”

“What is it dear?” she said, slicing strips from a block of cheddar cheese.

“I was wondering, would it be alright if Cosima came over for dinner on Wednesday?”

The knife clattered to the ground as it slipped from her mother’s hand.  She quickly picked it up and placed it in the sink.  “Quoi?”

“I would like to invite Cosima to have dinner with us on Wednesday,” Delphine said, leaving out the fact that she had already invited the girl.

“You would like to have someone over for dinner?”

“Yes, I would like my _friend_ to come over for dinner,” she said, emphasizing the word _friend_.  “She is very nice and I think if you spent some time with her you would warm up to her.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea—“

“If you’re worried about her interfering with my schedule, I don’t think that will be a problem.  Her brother is like me, so she grew up in the same environment and understands how important practices are.  And she was very apologetic about me being home late the other day.  She would like to make a better impression.  I only ask that you give her the chance.  Please, maman?”  Delphine gave her best pout as she met her mother’s eyes, holding her gaze until she could see the resistance begin to break down.

“If you really think it’s what’s best, then fine.”

“Really?” Delphine asked.  “Oh, thank you!”  She ran around the counter and hugged her mother, kissing her on the cheek.  “I will go invite her right now!”  She grabbed the just finished sandwich from her mother and ran up to her bedroom.

The next few days passed very slowly; Delphine was drowning in practices and schoolwork, especially because her parents wanted her to test out of high school early so she could focus on piano.  She barely had the time to text Cosima and tell her what time to come over on Wednesday.

But the days passed and at 6:30 sharp, there was a knock on the door of the Cormier household.  “I will get it!” Delphine called, and ran to let Cosima inside.

Delphine opened the front door and Cosima stood there, looking slightly uncomfortable in a nice skirt and sweater, and holding a bouquet of flowers.  Delphine grinned.  “Flowers?” she asked.

Cosima shrugged.  “My mom said it would be a nice gesture to bring something to dinner, and since I’m too young to get wine, flowers were my next best option.”

“I’m sure my mother will love them.”

“That’s what I was hoping.  I’m just gonna ass-kiss my way through the evening and by the end of the night, your parents will love me!” Cosima flashed her signature grin and Delphine giggled again.

“Come in, come in.”

Delphine led Cosima to the dining room where her parents were waiting.

“Mrs. Cormier, good to see you again,” Cosima said.  Mrs. Cormier simply nodded.  Cosima held out her hand to Delphine’s father.  “And Mr. Cormier, I don’t believe we’ve met.  I’m Cosima Niehaus.”

Delphine’s father shook her hand and replied, “It’s good to meet you Cosima.  It’s nice that Delphine was able to make a friend here.”

“Yeah, Delphine’s great,” Cosima said.  She held out the bouquet.  “I brought flowers for you guys.”

Mrs. Cormier looked at them disdainfully until her husband took them from Cosima’s hands.  “Thank you, Cosima, they’re lovely.  Delphine, would you get a vase?”

Delphine muttered a quick, “Oui,” and disappeared into the kitchen.  A moment later she reappeared with a vase and water, which she put the flowers in and set on the table.

Mr. Cormier rubbed his hands together.  “Shall we eat?”

Dinner was, for the most part, uneventful.  Cosima asked Delphine’s parents respectful questions and answered all questions politely and sent them both (but especially Mrs. Cormier) compliments anytime an opportunity presented itself.  Basically, she kissed a lot of ass.  Delphine had to suppress giggles a few times when it was so obvious to her that Cosima was smothering on the charm and gratitude.  She ate not too fast but not too slow, had her napkin on her lap, and complimented every dish that was served.  Cosima was, in every way, the perfect dinner guest.

That is, until they brought out desert.

On Cosima’s plate was a delicious looking crepe topped with fruit and ice cream.  Delphine’s mother was rambling about Delphine’s talent and her career, and that’s when Cosima saw it.

A spider crawled up the stems of one of the flowers in the vase that Cosima had brought.  Her eyes grew wide.  “Shit,” she muttered under her breath.

Thankfully, only Delphine heard her curse.  She looked at Cosima questioningly as her mother continued to speak.

“…her first recital when she was only four years old.  Four!  That’s one of the youngest in history!  And after that, she kept getting scheduled for performances left and right…”

Cosima didn’t want to point, so she met Delphine’s gaze, and then looked pointedly at the vase, where the spider was now crawling down onto the table.  Delphine gulped.  “Merde.”

Mrs. Cormier continued to speak as she started to cut a piece off of her crepe.  Unfortunately, her plate was exactly where the spider was heading.  The spider somehow managed to get directly on the piece that she cut as soon as she lifted the fork.  She was mid-sentence so thankfully the food and spider did not go directly into her mouth.

“…moved here to the US when Delphine was twelve because there just seemed to be more opportunities for her here—“

“Euh, maman?” Delphine interrupted.

“Just a moment, chérie,” she said, and continued, gradually moving the fork, and the spider, closer to her mouth.  “We started off in New York because the opportunities there were the most promising, but various circumstances gradually led us across the country to—“

“Maman!”

Mrs. Cormier froze, fork inches from her mouth.  “What is it?”  Delphine nervously glanced at the fork in her hand, and her mother followed her gaze and found herself face to face with a spider.

A loud shriek echoed through the dining room as she dropped her fork, startling Mr. Cormier so much he fell out of his chair.  Delphine gasped.  Her mother started shouting in French and backed away from where her fork landed very quickly.  As Delphine’s father tried to get up from the floor, he banged his head on the table.

“ARAIGNÉE!  TUER!  LAURENT, TUER!”

Cosima did not know what to do so she simply watched the scene before her stunned, mouth agape, until she felt a tug on her arm as Delphine led her out of the room.

“Shit,” she said when they were out of earshot of the dining room.  “Shit!  I was doing so well!  And then that damn spider—eight legged demon—fucked it up!  Fucking arachnids!”

“Cosima!  It’s fine!” Delphine reassured.  “It is not your fault.  It is best that we stay away from the dining room for a while so my parents have some time to calm down.  We can go up to my room.”  She tugged on Cosima’s arm again and led her up the stairs and into her bedroom.

After they entered the room, Cosima stood there in shock for a moment, but as soon as the door closed behind them, Delphine burst into laughter.

“What are you laughing at?  Your parents are gonna hate me now!”

“Oh, I am sorry!” Delphine said, wiping tears from her eyes.  “But it was so funny!  I have never seen my mother so scared before!  Did you see the look on her face?”

Cosima thought about it for a moment and let out a small chuckle.  “I guess it was pretty funny,” she admitted.  Delphine’s laughter was contagious because soon Cosima was on the floor, giggling uncontrollably, trying to catch her breath.

“Oh god,” Cosima gasped.  “I shouldn’t be laughing.  I should not be laughing.”  She was able to slow down her laughter and sit up.  Delphine patted the spot on the bed next to her, inviting Cosima to sit down, and Cosima gladly took it.

“I’m sorry,” Cosima said eventually.

Delphine smiled.  “Don’t be.  It was not your fault.”

Once things calmed down, Cosima was finally able to get a good look at Delphine’s room.  It was very spacious and very neat.  There was a bookshelf that was filled to the brim with both novels and research books, a few of them were out of their place and sitting neatly on her desk.  Her desk wasn’t cluttered, at all, far different from Cosima’s own desk at home.  Her laptop sat, closed, on top and the chair was pushed in.  There was rug in the middle of the wooden floor.  The only other thing in the room was an electric piano in the corner.

“Your room is nice,” Cosima said.  “How many pianos do you have?  Because I’m pretty sure I saw one downstairs.”

“Three, I think?  Besides this one and the one you saw there is another in the basement.  And I think there’s an old keyboard in the garage somewhere.”

Cosima whistled.  “That’s a lot.  Dylan only has the one violin.  Well I guess this is his second one because he broke the first one, but still.  Only one that he can use.”

“Yes, well, my parents want me to be able to practice wherever I feel comfortable, and pianos are less mobile than violins,” Delphine explained.  “So there’s my room, the rehearsal room, and the basement.  I usually practice in the rehearsal room, but I like to play by myself up here, more messing around than anything.  It’s nice to play just for me, when I don’t have my mother breathing down my neck.”

“I can imagine,” Cosima said.  She then turned her head to look at Delphine and asked, “Play me something?”

“What?”

“Come on, just a little something!”  Delphine huffed and went to sit on the piano bench.  She thought for a moment, then placed her fingers on the keys, playing what Cosima thought was a very familiar tune.  “Hey, that’s the same thing you played at the recital!”

“So?” Delphine asked as she stopped playing.

“You said you come up here to mess around, play without pressure,” Cosima said.  “I wanna hear that.”

“I don’t know what to play!”

Cosima went to sit down next to Delphine on the piano bench.  “Just relax,” she said.  “Don’t think about it.  Play whatever comes to mind.  I’m sure I’ll love it.”

Delphine sighed and thought for a moment.  Cosima gave her a reassuring nudge, then got up and moved to sit on the bed again so that Delphine would feel less pressured.  After a while, she closed her eyes and began to play.  The chords she played were very slow, and she smoothly transitioned from one to the next as her fingers glided elegantly across the keys.  What Cosima paid attention to, though, were Delphine’s lips.  Not in the I-wanna-make-out-with-you kind of way (although admittedly that too), but Delphine’s lips moved as she played, mouthing unspoken words with her music, and Cosima suddenly wished she knew how to read lips.

It wasn’t long before Delphine slowly stopped playing.  They sat in silence for a moment before Cosima finally spoke up.

“Wow.”

Delphine blushed and shook her head.

“That was really good!  I’m serious!”

“Thank you, Cosima.”

“What were you saying?”

“What?”

“You were mouthing words,” Cosima said.  “What were you mouthing?”

Delphine blushed even harder.  “Oh, I was just—it was—nothing.”

“Doesn’t sound like nothing.”  Cosima smiled, hoping to reassure the pianist.

“It’s just...” Delphine started, obviously nervous.  Cosima nodded, encouraging her to continue.  “It’s just something that I wrote.  I don’t know.  It’s not finished, or good, or anything.”

“Well it sounded good to me,” Cosima said, and Delphine smiled sheepishly.  “I’d love to hear it one day.”

“Okay,” she said.  “One day.”  Their eyes met and Delphine blushed while Cosima smiled reassuringly.

Just then, a voice called from downstairs.  “Delphine!”

The smile on Delphine’s face slipped away and Cosima immediately missed it.  “We should probably return now,” Delphine said.  Cosima nodded and followed her downstairs back into the dining room.

The mess had been cleaned up, as were the plates, it looked like the spider situation had been taken care of, and the flowers that Cosima brought were sitting in the trash.  Cosima frowned.

“I think it’s about time your friend should leave,” Delphine’s mother said.

Cosima nodded quickly.  “Yes, of course,” she said.  “Thank you so much for having me over.”

“It was our pleasure, Cosima,” Mr. Cormier said, and his wife shot him a disdainful look.

“I will walk you out,” Delphine said quickly.

She tugged lightly on Cosima’s arm again, and led her out the front door.  They walked slowly to Cosima’s truck and stopped on the sidewalk next to it.  “Thanks again for inviting me over,” Cosima said.  “It was an entertaining night to say the least.  Sorry for, uh, fucking it up.”

“Cosima, it is not your fault!” Delphine protested.  “But thank you for coming.  I am glad you could make it.”

Cosima smiled.  This was the part where she would usually lean in and close her eyes and _kiss_ the girl, and she wanted to, so badly.  _It’s not a date_ , Cosima reminded herself.  _Just two friends, hanging out.  That’s it._ When she saw Delphine lean in, her breath caught in her throat.  As she got closer, Cosima’s eyes fluttered shut.  She felt the press of warm lips against her cheek.

_Right_ , Cosima thought.  _French_.

She quickly opened her eyes before Delphine leaned back and repeated the gesture on her other cheek.

Cosima opened the door to her truck.  Before getting in, she asked, “So are we still on for Friday?”

Delphine lips quirked up into a smile.  “Of course!” she said.  “Why wouldn’t we be?”

“Just checking!  I’ll see you Friday.”

“Au revoir, Cosima!  I am looking forward to it.”

Cosima drove off still feeling the burn of Delphine’s lips on her cheek.


	4. Chapter 4

After Cosima drove away, Delphine was left to deal with the aftermath of the incident.  She walked back inside to find her parents standing in the dining room, waiting for her.  Her mother’s arms were crossed over her chest.  Her father looked slightly annoyed.  She took a seat at the table.

“I do not think you should see this girl anymore, Delphine,” her mother said.

“Maman, it was not her fault,” Delphine defended.  “How could she have known there was a spider on the flowers?  She is very, very sorry.”

“I do think you’re being a little harsh, chèrie,” her father said.  “Cosima was very nice, and the circumstances were out of her control.  I think it is good for Delphine to have a friend.”

“A friend will only lead to distractions,” her mother argued.  “Delphine needs to stay focused on her career.”

“Delphine has been focused on her career for years, she’s never had any time for friends.  We can give her this!”

“Not with the Duncan Showcase coming up!  She needs to be practicing for that!”

“She is always practicing and deserves to have some fun every once in a while.”

“And piano is not fun for her?”

They argued about Delphine like she wasn’t even sitting there.  Delphine was tired of her parents treating her like a child, not letting her make her own decisions or have any freedom.  Soon she was able to slip away unnoticed and go back up to her bedroom.  She collapsed on her bed with a heavy sigh, and just laid there on her back for some time, her eyes closed, taking deep breaths.  Eventually she got out of bed and sat in front of her piano.  She began to play.  It was the same song that she played for Cosima before.  It was not very long.  She played through it two… three times.

Delphine went over to her desk and pulled a notebook and pen out of the drawer.  She went back to the piano and sat down, writing away, occasionally tapping out notes, and scratching out things that she’d written.  It wasn’t long before she threw the notebook on the ground with a frustrated sigh, turned off the light, and crawled into bed.

Delphine didn’t speak to her parents much the next few days.  She did what they said to avoid further arguments and answered their questions with as few words as possible.  Her anticipation grew as the days passed before she would see Cosima again.  Friday drew closer and closer, and Delphine grew increasingly distracted in her studies and her practices.

By the time Friday night came around, Delphine was so anxious she was practically shaking.  She sent a quick text message to Cosima.

_I will text you when my parents are asleep_

It wasn’t long before her phone buzzed with Cosima’s reply.

_Got it. see ya soon :)_

Delphine smiled at her response.  She went through her usual routine of getting ready for bed: shower, brush her teeth, etc.  However, when she said goodnight to her parents and disappeared into her bedroom, she went straight for her closet.  She did not want to feel as underdressed as she did last time, but she also did not own anything close to what Cosima wore last week.  Eventually she settled on a tight black skirt, and a gray top that fell off her shoulder.

Soon, Delphine heard the snores coming from her parents’ room signaling that her father had fallen asleep, who usually took longer than her mother.  She texted Cosima.

No reply came, so she assumed Cosima was on her way.  Delphine finished up her make-up, applying the last touches of her red lipstick, when she heard a tapping at her window.

Confused, she looked over to see Cosima balancing on a tree branch, waving at her.  Delphine gasped and ran over to the window, opening it.

“Cosima!” she whispered harshly.  “What are you doing?”

Cosima practically fell off the branch and into her bedroom and shrugged.  “I thought it would be cool.”

“How did you even get up there?” Delphine asked.  “And in _those_ shoes!”

“Lots of skill in wearing heels,” Cosima said.  “But also, mostly luck.”

“Cosima!”

“Shhhh, don’t wanna wake your parents,” Cosima scolded jokingly, grabbing her hand and leading her out the door.  “Let’s go!”

They tip toed downstairs, and Delphine made sure to leave the door unlocked because she didn’t have her own house key.  The moment they got into Cosima’s car, Delphine started giggling uncontrollably.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing!  It’s just… I’ve never done this before!” Delphine explained.  “It’s exciting!”

Cosima laughed at her excitement.  “The real fun hasn’t even started yet,” she said with a smirk, and drove off down the street.

It wasn’t long before they arrived at the party, where they could hear the thudding music from a block away.  Cosima parked down the street and they headed into the house.

Almost immediately upon their entrance, Cosima was tackle-hugged by someone, almost knocking her off balance.

“There you are!” Felix said.  “We were wondering if you’d ever show!”

“Sorry I’m late, but I’m here now,” Cosima said.  “The party can really start!”

“Do you wanna go get right?” Felix asked, holding up a joint between his fingers.

“Can’t tonight, Fee, I’m driving.”

It wasn’t until then that Felix noticed Delphine’s presence and a smirk grew on his face.

“Oh, of course!” he said.  “You must be Delphine, it’s lovely to meet you!  I’m Felix, Cosima’s gay friend and wingman.”

“And pain in the ass,” Cosima added.

“Oh, you love me,” Felix said, sticking out his tongue at her.  Cosima pushed away his face and laughed at him.

Delphine couldn’t help but smile at the interaction between Cosima and her friend.

“So, Sarah’s driving tonight?” Cosima asked.

“Oh, god no, she’s already shit faced, so try to stay away from her if you can,” Felix laughed.  “No, she was able to flirt her way into a ride from one of the seniors.  I don’t remember his name.  Cam?  Chris?  Cal?”  He shrugged.  “No idea, but that means we can both have fun tonight!  Anyway, I’ll leave you two… to it, then.”  He gave Cosima a quick peck on the cheek.  “Have fun!” he added with a wink.

Cosima turned back to Delphine.  “So that was Felix,” she said as they took off their coats and set them down.

Delphine grinned.  “He seems interesting,” she said.  “But in a good way!”

“He is interesting,” Cosima laughed.  “So… do you want to go dance?”

Delphine shook her head.  “I think I will have a drink first.”

“Really?” Cosima asked.  “You sure?”

“Oui, I am sure,” she said confidently.  “I have already lied to my parents and snuck out for the first time in my life!  If I’m going to have fun tonight, I may as well do it right!”

Cosima laughed.  “Alright then, one drink coming right up.  Wait right here.”  Cosima disappeared into the crowd, and Delphine did as she said and waited.  It didn’t take long for Cosima to return with a plastic cup in her hand filled with frothy liquid.  “Here you go.”

As Delphine brought the cup up to her lips, she continued.  “Just so you know, beer is kind of an—“  As the drink entered Delphine’s mouth, she made a face at the bitter taste and swallowed harshly.  “Acquired taste.”

“Thank you for the warning,” Delphine teased.

“Hey, I tried!  You don’t have to have anything to drink if you don’t want.  I could get you some water.”

“No, no!  It’s not that bad after a while.  I can drink this.”

And drink it she did.  Delphine finished her cup very quickly and had Cosima get her a refill.  She was halfway through her second cup when she started to notice the effects.  She felt lighter, as if the restraints that always held her back were cut loose and she could do whatever she wanted, and she felt flushed, especially when she noticed the close proximity in which Cosima was standing.

Delphine finished the rest of her drink quickly and dropped her cup to the ground.  She leaned into Cosima to say, “Let’s dance, shall we?”

Cosima nodded her head vigorously, and Delphine grabbed both of her hands, lacing their fingers together, and tugged Cosima in the direction of the dancing.

They began dancing face to face.  Relaxed and uninhibited, Delphine let her hips sway to the music and let her hands roam free in the air.  Cosima let her eyes trail down Delphine’s body, watching her move, and when their eyes met she didn’t even try to hide her hungry gaze.

“You know, you’ve gotten much better at that!” Cosima shouted over the music.

“Well, I have a very good teacher!” Delphine shouted back.

Cosima spun around so her back was facing Delphine and continued to dance.  Cosima’s hands were in the air and her hips swayed so sensually; Delphine was drawn to her like a magnet.  Her hands found their place on Cosima’s hips again, and she pressed against Cosima’s back.  Delphine sighed at the flush contact of their bodies and continued to move with the music and with Cosima as their bodies grew more heated with every movement.

Cosima’s hands found their way to Delphine’s neck, and into her hair, pulling her closer, if that was even possible.  Their bodies were pressed so tightly together, swaying together.  Delphine’s hands began to roam freely, first moving up and down Cosima’s sides.  Delphine felt the smaller girl sigh at the movement, so she continued.  She slid her hands across the flat of Cosima’s stomach and felt the hands in her hair grip tighter.

Delphine’s breathing grew heavier and more rapid.  A fire was lit inside of her that burned deeper and fiercer than anything she had ever felt.  Maybe it was the thrill of breaking the rules for the first time in her life, or maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was the heat of being so close to Cosima.  It was probably all three.  But Delphine felt so alive and so free for the first time and with every moment the fire grew stronger, brighter.  Everywhere her skin touched Cosima’s burned.  But with Cosima’s hands in her hair and her ass right _there_ , hips moving in time with Delphine’s, it just felt so _damn_ good.

And it wasn’t enough.  Delphine needed more, and she needed more _now_.

Delphine quickly spun Cosima around, and she could see a question forming, but she simply placed a hand on the back of her neck and pulled her up to her mouth, kissing the question right off her lips.  Cosima reacted quickly, grabbing fistfuls of Delphine’s shirt and pulling her closer, kissing back so fiercely, so passionately, Delphine had the breath knocked out of her.  She pulled away for a moment, just long enough to suck air back into her lungs, before hungrily reclaiming Cosima’s lips.

Delphine let her lips fall open, allowing Cosima to map out her mouth with her tongue.  She shivered as Cosima’s tongue slid against her own, and as their teeth clicked together.  Cosima took Delphine’s bottom lip between her teeth and gave a soft tug, and Delphine couldn’t hold back the moan that escaped from the back of her throat.  Cosima greedily kissed away the sound into her own mouth, smirking, and slid a thigh between Delphine’s legs.

Delphine didn’t know what to do with her hands.  She wanted them on Cosima’s neck and in her hair and on her back and on her shoulder and around her waist; she wanted her hands everywhere but she didn’t have enough hands.  Cosima was more decisive.  Her hands slipped down Delphine’s waist and around, gripping her ass and pulling her hips closer.  Delphine gasped into Cosima’s mouth.

“Cosima,” she whispered.  But the sound was drowned out by the music and Cosima kissed her again and she really needed to stop doing that or Delphine was going to do some very inappropriate things right on the dance floor.

“Cosima!” she said, a little louder this time.  Cosima heard and tilted her head, eyes asking the question for her.  “We need to get out of here,” she said urgently.  “Away from everyone.”

Thankfully, Cosima understood her and grabbed her hand, leading her toward the front door, quickly grabbing their coats on the way.

They passed by Sarah on the way out, who tried to stop them.  “Oi!  Leaving so soon?  What the hell, Cos?”

“Not _now_ , Sarah,” Cosima growled.  Sarah may have been totally shit faced, but she noticed their flushed cheeks and swollen lips and smudged lipstick.

“Oh!” she said, smirking.  “Well, have fun then!”  She stepped out of the way and wolf-whistled as they went out the front door.

Once they were outside, Delphine all but jumped her, forcefully pressing their lips together again, letting her hands roam.  Cosima kissed back, but pulled away quickly.

“Mmmm, car,” was all she said.  Delphine nodded furiously.

They practically ran back to Cosima’s truck.  Cosima climbed in first, crawling into the small backseat.  Delphine followed, closing the door behind her.  As soon as Delphine was close enough, Cosima pushed her down on the seat and straddled her hips.  Her lips and tongue traced hot, wet kisses onto Delphine’s neck, and Delphine gasped, running her hands along Cosima’s arms, keeping as much skin contact as possible.  She felt for more skin, but Cosima was in a dress so she couldn’t just easily slip it off like a shirt.  Her legs were covered in tights, so Delphine reached under Cosima’s dress to pull down the offending material.  Cosima removed her lips from Delphine’s neck to sit up and slide the tights down her legs, kicking them off her feet along with her shoes.

Delphine placed her hands on Cosima’s thighs, running her fingers along the hot skin.  She sat up, back pressed against the side of the car and the window, and something was digging into her back but she didn’t care.  Delphine pulled Cosima closer and Cosima kissed her lips again, sloppy and heated.  Her hands made their way under Delphine’s shirt, searching for more skin, tracing the muscles of her stomach.  Delphine squirmed at Cosima’s touches.  The shirt was lifted from her head, and her bra quickly followed.

Cosima took her breasts in each hand, and Delphine groaned, arching her back into the touch.  Cosima’s mouth made its way down Delphine’s chest, sucking at her neck again, nipping at her collarbone, licking down to her breasts.  Delphine grabbed the back of Cosima’s neck and pulled her down, relishing in the feeling of soft lips and tongue on her breast and teeth lightly scraping her nipple.  She wanted to scream.

Cosima’s hand left Delphine’s other breast and moved down her sides until it was on her hip.  She lifted her head to hike up Delphine’s skirt and pull down her underwear.  Cosima did not touch her yet.  She traced the tips of her fingers experimentally and slowly along the insides of Delphine’s thighs and her lower stomach, getting close, but not where Delphine needed her the most.

“Cosima, please,” Delphine moaned.

Cosima let her fingers run through wet heat at the same time her lips claimed Delphine’s again, swallowing the moan she released at the touch.  Delphine’s hips lifted from the seat into Cosima’s touch, and Cosima moved her fingers nimbly and quickly, eliciting delicious whimpers and sighs and moans from Delphine.  Delphine thrust hard into Cosima’s hand, seeking more friction, and Cosima’s fingers rubbed at her sensitive clit.  Delphine felt the fire burning more intensely than she could possibly imagine, spreading to every nerve in her body from the tips of her fingers to hairs on the back of her neck and down to her curling toes.  It wasn’t long before Delphine cried out, Cosima’s name on her lips, trembling, and gripping at Cosima’s dress.

Suddenly the car was silent, occupied only by the sound of their labored breathing.  Cosima let Delphine catch her breath before removing her hand and kissing her softly.

“Wow,” Delphine gasped.

“You okay?” Cosima asked.

“Yes,” Delphine reassured.  “I’m great.”

“Good.” Cosima chuckled softly.  “That’s… not what I expected to happen tonight.  Not that I’m complaining.”

“Hmm, me too.”  Delphine breathed for a few seconds.  She placed a hand on Cosima’s cheek and kissed her lightly.  “Back of the car?” she asked when they broke apart.

Cosima shrugged.  “You work with what you’ve got.”

“You are the craziest person I’ve ever met.”  Delphine smiled.

“In like, a not bad way?” Cosima asked.

Delphine just giggled and kissed her again, committing Cosima’s taste to her memory.


	5. Chapter 5

Cosima managed to get Delphine home pretty early.  At least, by her standards it was early.  She pulled up down the street from her house a little after 1 in the morning and killed the engine.

“Would you like to come inside?” Delphine asked.

“I dunno,” Cosima said.  “If I go in it’ll be _very_ hard to get myself to leave eventually, and if your parents found me here in the morning they’d probably hate me even more.”

“You’re right,” Delphine replied, “it’s probably best if you don’t.”

“Mhm,” Cosima breathed.  Delphine unbuckled and moved to get out of the car, but Cosima grabbed her hand to stop her.  “Not so fast.”  She leaned toward Delphine’s seat and captured her lips in a searing kiss.

Delphine pulled back quickly, face flushed.  “Cosima, you can’t do that or I might just stay in here all night.  I have to go!”

Cosima whined in protest and pouted.  Delphine leaned in again to press a brief kiss to her lips, which seemed to lift Cosima’s spirits a little.  “Fine,” Cosima sighed.

“I will see you soon,” Delphine called as she jumped out of the car and shut the door behind her.

Cosima grinned while watching Delphine walk up the driveway back to her front door.  Before Delphine went inside, she blew a kiss and waved.  Cosima blushed.  Shit, she was lucky.

It wasn’t until Cosima arrived back at her own home that she started to think about the possible repercussions of her actions.  She took a shower and crawled into bed.  Delphine had had a few drinks and she had come on a little strong dancing with her.  She didn’t want Delphine to think she was trying to take advantage of her.  But, then again, Delphine was the one who had kissed her, and she was sober enough to consent.  But was it possible that she had just ruined this budding friendship with the French girl?

Cosima groaned into her pillow.  “Did I just make a huge mistake?”

She waited until the next day to call Delphine.  Her heart thumped as the phone rang, and didn’t breathe until after she heard the soft, “Allô,” when Delphine answered.

“Hey, it’s me,” Cosima said.  “I just wanted to check in, after last night.  Are you okay?”

“Bien sur.  Why wouldn’t I be?” Delphine asked.

“Well, it’s just,” Cosima hesitated and thought about how to phrase this.  “Things with us happened kind of quickly, and you were a little drunk.  I just wanted to make sure we’re okay.  I mean, as far as I know, you’re not gay, so…”  She trailed off, unsure of how to continue, and cringed at her own words.

“Cosima, we are fine,” Delphine said.  “I mean, I had never thought about bisexuality for myself.  Honestly, I haven’t had much time to think about any romantic relationships in my life at all.  My parents have kept me so busy.  But with you it does feel right… if that makes sense.  I like you, Cosima.  And I don’t regret anything we did last night.”

Cosima let out a sigh of relief.  “Good.  That’s good.  I just… wanted to make sure.  I like you too, and I don’t wanna do something stupid, because I always end up doing something stupid.”

Delphine giggled.  “Cosima, it’s fine.”

Cosima grinned and her face flushed.  “Okay.  Awesome.  Well, uhh, in that case, I was wondering, do you like soccer?”

“Soccer?”

“Well, I guess everywhere else it’s football but here it’s soccer.  Anyway, my friend Alison has a soccer game on Tuesday after school, so I was wondering if you wanted to come watch and meet my friends?  Just so you know, they’re not all burnouts, that’s just Sarah and Felix.”

“I would love to,” Delphine said.

“Really?  Are your parents gonna be okay with it?”

“I’m sure they won’t mind.  Pick me up at 3?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Well,” Delphine started, “I have to go now, but I am glad you called.  I will see you Tuesday.  Adieu, Cosima.”

“Bye,” Cosima breathed, before Delphine hung up.  She let out another sigh of relief and fell back on her bed.  Delphine liked her, and she was going to see her again on Tuesday.

Delphine was so happy that Cosima liked her, and that she liked spending time with her.  Cosima sent her good morning and goodnight texts each day, and they conversed back and forth in between.  Thoughts of the other girl ran through her mind whenever she was practicing or working on schoolwork the next few days, and a giddy smile would take over her face.  Her mom never noticed.  She only noticed when Delphine’s thoughts of Cosima caused her to hit the wrong keys or lose the tempo in the middle of the song.

“Delphine, what has you so distracted?” her mother asked during practice Monday afternoon.

Delphine shook her head, not wanting to admit to her what was going on.  “Nothing, I am fine,” she said, and went right back to playing before her mother could interrogate her further.

Delphine tried to think of a way to ask her parents if she could spend Tuesday afternoon with Cosima, but realized that it would be harder for them to say no if Cosima was already there and she was leaving.  So she waited for a text message from Cosima saying that she was on her way to leave her practice and change her clothes.  She figured, since it was a sports game she should dress more casual, so Delphine settled on a pair of denim shorts and a tank top, since it was a warm day out.

Cosima texted her again saying she had arrived and didn’t want to come inside, so Delphine made her way to the front door.

“Delphine, where are you going?” her father asked as she gripped the doorknob.

“I am going out with Cosima and her friends,” Delphine explained, smiling.  She was glad her father caught her rather than her mother because he was always less strict about these things.

He nodded.  “Very well,” he said.  “Don’t be out too late.  I’ll cover with your mom.”

Delphine bounded over and threw her arms around him, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.  “Merci père!” she said, and headed out the front door.

Cosima was waiting in her old red truck that Delphine grew more and more fond of each time she saw it.  She thought back to Friday night and what transpired the last time she found herself in that truck, and couldn’t keep the blush from creeping onto her face, nor the heat from building in her stomach.

When Cosima saw Delphine coming, she jumped out of the car and went around to open the passenger door for her.  “Bonsoir, Cosima,” Delphine said as she crawled into the seat and buckled her seatbelt.

Before closing the door, Cosima stood on her tip toes to give Delphine a quick kiss.  “Hi.”

Delphine fought off her blush as Cosima closed her door and walked around to get back in the driver’s seat of the car.  When Cosima was next to her again, Delphine still had the biggest grin on her face.  Then, Cosima grabbed her hand while still keeping one on the steering wheel.  She held Delphine’s hand lightly, rubbing her knuckles with her thumb and Delphine felt the heat creeping back into her cheeks.  Her smile never faltered the entire drive to Cosima’s school.

Cosima pulled into the parking lot and jumped out of the car quickly to open Delphine’s door for her again.  When they both had their feet on the ground, Cosima hesitated.  She wasn’t sure how much physical affection Delphine would be comfortable with in public.  Could she hold her hand?  Could she put an arm around her?  Could she kiss her?  She wasn’t sure.

Delphine seemed to sense her nerves and easily slipped her hand into Cosima’s, intertwining their fingers and giving a quick squeeze.  Cosima smiled and they took off walking, grasped hands swinging between their bodies.

“You ready?” Cosima asked.

“Oui,” Delphine nodded.  “I am very excited to meet your friends!”

“I should warn you, we get really into Alison’s soccer games.”  Delphine gave her a questioning look.  “We’re very enthusiastic.  You’ll see.”  Delphine nodded and followed the gentle tug of Cosima’s hand to the field.

Cosima scanned the bleachers for her friends, who should be saving them seats.  After a moment, she found Scott and his arm waving wildly to catch her attention.  She waved back and led Delphine into the crowd toward her friends.

They found their seats next to Scott, Felix and Sarah, and Cosima started with introductions.  “Delphine, this is Scott,” she said.

Delphine reached out to shake his hand, and Scott struggled to find words, mouth gaping.  Obviously he didn’t believe Cosima when she talked about how _gorgeous_ this French girl was.  Cosima rolled her eyes.  “Use your words, Scotty.”

He mumbled out a quick, “Hi,” before retracting his hand and looking away.

Delphine frowned at Cosima, and Cosima just shrugged as if to say, _he does this a lot_.  “And you remember Sarah and Felix, maybe.”

“I don’t blame you if you don’t,” Felix said.  “You two were _very_ busy the night we met, if I do recall.”  He winked at them, and Delphine blushed furiously.  Sarah burst out laughing.

“Just ignore them,” Cosima said, shoving Felix in the shoulder.

“Hey, don’t take it personally, Frenchie,” Sarah said.  “We always tease each other’s new fuck buddies!”

“Sarah!” Cosima groaned.  “Don’t do that!  She’s not a fuck buddy and she doesn’t know you’re kidding!”

“Ok, ok, sorry!” Sarah put her hands up in mocking innocence.  “God, Cos, who put a stick up your arse?  You must really like her!”

At this, Cosima turned beet red, and Felix and Sarah laughed more.

“Sorry about them,” Scott said to Delphine while Cosima struggled to tone down her blush and put words in her mouth.  “As always, I’m the only normal one around here.  Which is definitely saying something.”

Delphine smiled at him.  “Thanks Scott,” Cosima said.  “You’re a breath of fresh air, trust me.  But let’s not forget about Alison!”

“Alison?  Normal?” Scott asked.

“Yeah, forget I said that.”

“It is good to meet you, Scott,” Delphine said.  “Cosima speaks very highly of you.”

“She does?” Scott asked, baffled.  “That’s… surprising.”

“Delphine!” Cosima said, pretending to be angry.  “That was supposed to be a secret!”

“Well, if you were nicer to your friends…”  Delphine giggled, and Cosima pushed her shoulder lightly with a playful glare on her face.

“So,” Cosima said.  “That’s it for now.  You’ll meet Alison after the game, so let’s hope they win and she’s in a good mood!”  Sarah, Felix, and Scott laughed.  “Do you want anything to snack on, Delphine?  I could get us some popcorn?  A drink?”

“Popcorn sounds good,” Delphine said.  “And maybe a diet coke?”

“Your wish is my command,” Cosima said.  She gave Delphine a quick peck on the cheek before leaving her in the bleachers with her friends to go to the snack bar.

“Man, she’s whipped.”  Delphine turned her head to find Felix and Sarah giggling to each other and Scott rolling his eyes.

“Whipped?”  Delphine asked, confused by the English slang.

“It means she’ll do whatever you ask,” Felix explained.  “Waiting on your hand and foot.  Kinda like a slave.”

Delphine scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion.  “I do not think of Cosima as a slave.”

“It’s an expression, Frenchie,” Sarah said.  “A joke.  We know she’s not actually your slave.”  Delphine nodded, still confused.

“So, Delphine, you play piano?” Scott asked.  “I do too!”

Delphine nodded and was about to reply before Sarah butted in.  “Not the same thing, Scotty boy.  Delphine’s, like, a prodigy, yeah?  Very different from teaching yourself to play that song from Harry Potter.”

“Sarah I’ve been playing piano for five years,” Scott replied, unamused.  He turned back to Delphine.  “I know I’m probably, like, nowhere near as good as you, but I do actually play.”

Delphine smiled at him and nodded her head.  “I believe you, Scott!  We should play together sometime, it could be fun.”

Scott blushed and opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out.  Instead, he just nodded with a bashful grin on his face.

Just then, Cosima reappeared with a box of popcorn and a soda.  She plopped down on her seat between Scott and Delphine.  “Oh, look, you didn’t kill each other while I was gone,” she said, mostly to Scott, Sarah and Felix.  Then she turned to Delphine and said, “I hope they’re not making you too uncomfortable.”

“Oh, not at all,” Delphine said.  “Scott was just telling me that he plays piano!”

“You do?” Cosima asked, curious.  “You never told me that.”  Scott just shrugged, offering no further comment.  Cosima raised an eyebrow, but turned back to Delphine, shoving a few pieces of popcorn in her mouth.

Delphine reached out to grab a few pieces of popcorn for herself.  “Are you not thirsty?  You only got one drink.”

“Oh, uhh….”  Cosima turned bright red and stuttered over her words.  “Well, I, uhh…I thought maybe we could share?  If not I can totally go back and get myself something else, for all I know you could be, like, a total germaphobe or something and not like sharing drinks with people so I probably shouldn’t have assumed—“

“Cosima,” Delphine giggled.  “You’re rambling again.”

Cosima groaned.  “Uhhhh, sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Delphine said.  “It’s cute.”  Cosima opened her mouth to reply, but the words got caught in her throat and she was left smiling stupidly at Delphine.  “And it’s fine if we share,” Delphine finished, and for good measure, she leaned closer to Cosima and took a sip from the straw of the drink still in her hands.

Cosima cleared her throat and finally found her voice.  “Okay, cool.”  She handed the box of popcorn to Delphine so she could hold it, then took a sip of diet coke.  She put her free arm that wasn’t holding a drink over Delphine’s shoulder, and Delphine leaned into her.  They sat like that waiting for the game to start, munching on popcorn and sharing their drink.

Neither of them noticed the giggling and fake vomiting coming from Sarah and Felix across the bench.

After a while the game started, and Delphine learned what Cosima meant when she said they were very enthusiastic at Alison’s soccer games.  Less than a minute after the match began, Cosima’s arm had been removed from Delphine’s shoulder, and she was on her feet with her friends.  They all yelled, both encouragement at their own team, and insults at the opponents.

Their enthusiasm, though, was contagious.  It wasn’t long before Delphine found herself out of her seat as well, yelling in French at the players, or at the referee after a bad call.

After the first time Delphine shouted in her native tongue, Cosima turned to her and said, “I like it when you do that.  It’s kinda hot.”  She grinned, tongue poking out between her teeth, and Delphine’s face flushed.  Delphine didn’t speak in English for the rest of the game.

An hour and a half later, their school won the game, 1-0, and Alison was sweaty and excited when she greeted her friends.

“You kicked _ass_ out there, Alison!” Cosima said, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl for a hug.

“Yeah, literally,” Sarah added.  “How ‘bout that yellow card, huh?”

“That was not my fault,” Alison defended.

“Sure it wasn’t.”

“Alison, this is Delphine, my…” Cosima dragged Delphine over to introduce her, but hesitated, unsure of what to call her.  They hadn’t really talked about that.  Cosima wanted to say girlfriend, but she wasn’t sure if Delphine would be comfortable with that just yet.  “Uhh, this is Delphine.  Delphine, this is Alison.”

“Congratulations on your game!” Delphine said, holding out her hand to shake Alison’s.  “You played marvelously!”

“Thank you, Delphine,” Alison said, shaking her hand.  “It’s a pleasure to meet you.  I hope these two haven’t been giving you too much trouble.”  She glared pointedly at Felix and Sarah.

“I have gotten used to it,” Delphine replied with a small chuckle.  At first, Sarah and Felix’s teasing was a little off-putting, but Cosima explained that it was just how they showed affection and Delphine was able to ease into the group a little more comfortably.

“That’s good.  They’re a handful, but they mean well.  Usually.”

“Well,” Cosima interjected, “now that you two have met we should probably get going.  I don’t want to keep her out too late.”

“Sure you don’t,” Sarah called after her suggestively, raising an eyebrow.  Cosima stuck up her middle finger at Sarah, but took Delphine’s hand to lead her away from the group.

“Bye guys!” Cosima called, waving over her shoulder.  “See ya tomorrow!”

Delphine waved too.  “Au revoir!  It was lovely meeting you, Alison and Scott.”  When they got back to her car, Delphine asked, “Why did we have to leave so soon?  I like your friends.”

“Because,” Cosima started.  “I wanted to take you out to dinner before I bring you home.”

“Oh!” Delphine looked down at her own outfit self-consciously, tried to flatten her hair, and realized she was sweating a little from her afternoon in the sun.

Cosima shook her head.  “Don’t worry about it, it’s nothing fancy,” Cosima reassured.  “It’s just this little diner nearby.  They serve burgers and stuff.  I’m pretty sure I’ve been there in my pajamas before.”  Delphine giggled while Cosima swiped a few blonde curls out of her face.  “Besides.  I think you look great.”  She kissed Delphine quickly before opening the car door for her.

Cosima and Delphine arrived at the diner in a few minutes and ordered their burgers.  They also split an order of fries and a milkshake while they waited for their burgers to be ready.  They munched in a comfortable silence for a while, but Cosima had a pressing question that she couldn’t keep to herself anymore.

“Hey, Delphine?” Cosima asked, a little timidly.  Delphine met her eyes.  She couldn’t reply because she had just stuffed a few fries into her mouth, but her nod encouraged Cosima to continue.  “Umm, what exactly are we?  Or…what can I call you?  I know we’re friends and stuff, but we also hold hands and kiss and, like, I wanna call you my girlfriend but I dunno if that’s ok with you or if you just wanna be friends for now, or—“

“Cosima.”

“I’m doing it again, aren’t I?”  Cosima shook her head and looked down, embarrassed.  “Sorry, sorry.”

“Cosima, are you asking me to be your girlfriend?” Delphine asked.

Cosima looked up to meet Delphine’s eyes again, a sheepish grin on her face, and shrugged.  “I guess I am.”

Delphine reached across the table and grabbed one of Cosima’s hands.  “I would love to be your girlfriend,” she said, corners of her lips turning up into a small smile.

“Really?”

“Of course.”

Just then, their burgers arrived.  They ate with giddy smiles and easy conversation.  At some point, Cosima’s foot bumped into Delphine’s under the table.  Delphine thought it was an accident, until Cosima moved her foot to wrap her ankle against Delphine’s leg, sliding her foot slowly up and down Delphine’s calf.  Delphine’s breath caught in her throat, and this didn’t go unnoticed by Cosima.  She smirked as she took another bite of her burger.

Eventually they finished their meal and it was time for Cosima to take Delphine back home.  When she pulled up in front of Delphine’s house, Cosima fidgeted nervously in her seat, a question forming on her lips.

“Hey, would you maybe want to spend the night at my place this weekend?” Cosima blurted out.

“What?”

“Well,” Cosima said, “my parents are gonna be out of town.  They’re taking Dylan to some recital in LA or something, I dunno.  But I thought that maybe you could come over?  I promise it’ll be fun!”

Delphine was thinking for a minute.  Did she want to spend the night with Cosima?  _Of course_.  It could give them the chance to spend some time together, alone and uninterrupted.  She could explore Cosima’s body somewhere other than the back of her car in the middle of the night.  Of course she wanted to spend the night with Cosima.  The real question was, would her parents let her?

Cosima seemed to get the wrong idea from Delphine’s hesitation.  “If you don’t want to, that’s totally cool.  I just figured I’d ask…”

“Oh, no!” Delphine exclaimed.  “No, no, yes I want to come over.  Of course I do.  I was just thinking that, I’m not so sure if my parents will let me.  I’ve never spent the night at someone’s house before.”

“Oh, right, of course,” Cosima nodded.  “Parents, I get it.  If you can’t come, I totally understand.  Or you could come and just not stay the night?”

“I will see what I can do,” Delphine said.  Cosima nodded, and Delphine could tell that she was a little disappointed, so she quickly closed the space between them and kissed her.  Cosima’s lips parted in surprise and Delphine used this opportunity to slide her tongue into Cosima’s mouth.  Cosima let out a moan, muffled by Delphine’s lips, and kissed her back.

Soon, Delphine pulled back, but kept her forehead resting against Cosima’s.  “I had fun today,” she muttered against Cosima’s lips.

“Mmm, me too,” Cosima said as she captured Delphine’s lips again for a brief kiss.  “Thanks for coming.”

Delphine nodded and extracted herself from her seatbelt.  She jumped out of the car and turned to Cosima.  “I will call you tomorrow?”

“I’ll be waiting,” Cosima replied.

Delphine waved goodbye and closed the door.  Cosima watched her walk up to her house, and even a few minutes after she had disappeared inside, Cosima was still sitting in her car parked at the curb with a dazed grin on her face.


	6. Chapter 6

It wasn’t late when Delphine arrived home from her date with Cosima, but a moment after she entered her bedroom, her mother followed her in.

“Delphine,” she said.  “Where have you been?”

“I was out with Cosima and her friends,” Delphine said.  “I told dad that I was going, and I came home on time.”

“You need to tell me these things so we can plan accordingly,” her mother said.  “You cut into your rehearsal time so now we need to make it up later.”

Delphine shook her head.  “I actually started practicing earlier so I wouldn’t have to worry about that.  See?  I think about these things!”

“You still should have told me.”

“Why?” Delphine asked.  “So you could say no?  You always say no when I want to do something!  I’m just a teenager, maman.  I want to have fun, and you won’t let me!”

Delphine’s father decided to enter the conversation at this, as he heard shouting coming from her room.  “What is going on here?” he asked.

Delphine spoke up before her mother got the chance to.  “Maman is angry with me for spending time with friends today even though I got my work done before I left,  _and_  I told you where I was going!”

Delphine’s father turned to his wife.  “You know, she has been working very hard lately,” he said.  “She deserves a break every once in a while.”

“Yes, but with the Duncan Showcase coming up she needs to work twice as hard!” her mother replied.  “She can’t afford any distractions!”

“Cosima is not distracting,” Delphine interjected.  She hated it when her parents would talk about her as if she wasn’t even there.  “I get bored practicing for hours and hours, and spending time with Cosima gives me something to look forward to.  If anything, it’s helping me!”  She knew she was stretching it a little, but she wanted her parents to be ok with her seeing Cosima again.

Delphine’s father interrupted their discussion.  “Look, it’s getting late and we’re all a little tired.  Why don’t we go to sleep and talk about it in the morning?”

Delphine said nothing, but she went to her bed and curled up, facing away from her parents.  Eventually they wished her goodnight and closed the door.  As soon as they were gone, Delphine glared after them and angrily threw one of her pillows at the door.  She couldn’t understand why she was so upset.  Her parents had always been this overbearing, and yet it’s never bothered her before.  She just accepted it.

Maybe it was because she never realized how happy she could be with a little freedom.  Sure, Delphine loved playing piano, it was one of her favorite things in the world.  But recently it’s become less about fun and more about her career and not screwing up, and Delphine missed being able to just release her inhibitions and relax by playing.

Delphine also never had friends before.  Well, yes, she had friends, but they always only hung out with her because she was the cool French chick or the interesting prodigy, and they always lost touch a few months after she moved away.  She never had anyone like Cosima before.  Cosima, who had somehow cannonballed into her life and stolen a place in her heart in such a short amount of time, but Delphine wouldn’t have it any other way.

And the fact that her mother was trying to get in the way of this new relationship in her life made Delphine so  _angry_.

Delphine climbed out of bed and changed into her pajamas, but instead of getting back into bed she sat at the electronic piano in the corner of her room, turned the volume down so to not disturb her parents, and tapped softly at the keys.  She began playing a melody, and soon grabbed a notebook and turned to a blank page to jot down lyrics.  She sang along under her breath, hummed out tunes, scratched words out in her notebook to replace them.  She wasn’t sure how long she sat there, writing and playing, but eventually she was yawning more than she was playing, so she closed her notebook and crawled back into bed.

The next morning, Delphine went downstairs to join her parents for breakfast.  Neither of them brought up the discussion from the night before, so she figured they weren’t going to talk about it.  She was glad for that, but she still had a question that needed to be answered.

Without looking up from her bowl of cereal, Delphine asked, “Can I please spend the night with Cosima this weekend?”  Both parents turned to look at her.  “She invited me over and I would like to go, but I told her I would ask you.”

Her mom spoke first.  “Delphine, honey—“

“We will talk about it,” her father interrupted, giving his wife a pointed look.  “Go do your schoolwork once you finish breakfast.”

Delphine nodded and went back to eating her cereal, the silence now filled with tension that wasn’t there before.  She ate quickly and then disappeared up to her bedroom to finish her algebra work.  Math was her least favorite so she always tried to get that over with first.

It was about an hour later when her parents came up to her room to talk to her.

“We’ve made a compromise,” her father started.

Delphine’s face lit up.  Were they going to let her go?  “A compromise?”

They nodded.  “You can spend the afternoon with Cosima, but we want you home by midnight,” her mother explained.

Delphine nodded, a splitting grin coming onto her face.  She jumped out of her desk chair to hug her parents.  She thanked them, and as soon as they left her room, she called Cosima.

Cosima answered very promptly on the first ring with a quiet, “Hey!”

Delphine skipped all greeting or preamble and jumped right into the good news.  “I can come over this weekend!” she exclaimed.

“You can?” Cosima asked.  “That’s great!”

Delphine nodded in agreement, but then added, “The only thing is I cannot stay the night.  My parents want me home by midnight.”

“Midnight, huh?  Sounds like some fairy tale.  Can I call you princess all night?”

Delphine can practically hear the grin in Cosima’s voice, but she rolls her eyes.  “Cosima!” she scolds.

“Fine, fine, sorry,” Cosima agrees, “no princess, got it.  Although the time constraint does put a damper on some of my plans.”

“Your plans?” Delphine asked.

“Oh, yeah, I have big plans,” Cosima said.  “Astronomical, really.  Unfortunately we might have to settle for medium sized plans now.”

Delphine giggled, but she noticed for the first time that Cosima had been whispering throughout their conversation.  “Cosima, why are you whispering?” she asked.

“Oh, I’m in class,” Cosima said nonchalantly.

“What?” Delphine gasped.  “I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize—“

“Hey, it’s no big, it’s just study hall,” Cosima reassured.  “I finished my work already.  And I’m sitting in the back so the teacher  _probably_  won’t notice, so long as I’m quiet.  Then again, someone on the other side of the room is playing games on his DS so really, how bad is a phone conversation?”

“I don’t want you to get in trouble!” Delphine said.

Cosima shrugged.  “Not like it hasn’t happened before.  It’s no big deal.”

Suddenly, a muffled voice came from the other end of the line.  “Niehaus!”

“Shit,” Cosima said.  “Teacher’s coming.  Anyway, umm, I’ll pick you up after school on Friday, ok?  Talk to you soon, hopefully.”

“Um, ok?”

“Niehaus, what have I said about—“

After that the line went dead.  Delphine made logical assumptions about what happened next.

She got a text from Cosima later that evening to confirm her suspicions.

_Phone was confiscated for the day and I just got out of detention, but like I said, no big deal! See ya friday!_

Delphine just rolled her eyes.

The remaining hours until Friday afternoon dragged on, as time seemed to whenever Delphine anticipated her dates with Cosima.

As it neared 3PM on Friday, Delphine waited in her room nervously.  She wore one of her casual summer dresses because she wanted to look nice for Cosima.  She didn’t have to pack a bag because she wasn’t staying overnight, no matter how much she wanted to.  So she sat on her bed and waited.

A little after 3 Delphine got a text from Cosima.

_I’m here :)_

Delphine grinned and bolted down the stairs.  She tried to make it out the door without having to confront either of her parents, but no such luck.  Her mother stopped her on the way out.

“Is your friend here?” she asked.  Delphine nodded.  “Well, go on,” she gestured out the door.  “Let’s go say hello.”

Delphine faked a smile and walked out the door, her mother trailing behind.

As soon as Cosima saw that Delphine’s mother was there, her smile faltered, just a little.  Only Delphine noticed.

Cosima jumped out of the car to greet them.  “Hey, Mrs. Cormier!  How’re you doing?”  She stuck out her arm for a handshake, and Delphine’s mother looked at it for a moment before gripping her hand lightly and giving it a little shake.

“Bonjour,” she said briefly.  Cosima just nodded and kept up her smile.  “Make sure Delphine is home on time.”

“Of course,” Cosima replied.  “Absolutely.”

She and Delphine went around to the other side of the car so Cosima could let her inside.

“And,” Delphine’s mother continued, surprising them both, “have fun.”

After the initial shock wore off, Delphine found herself smiling.  “Thank you, maman.”

Mrs. Cormier nodded and then headed back inside the house.

Delphine and Cosima both got into the car.  Before Cosima buckled her seatbelt, she asked, “So does this mean I have your mother’s approval?”

Delphine smiled.  “I think it means… she’s coming around.”

“Good.” Cosima grinned, then leaned in to kiss Delphine briefly before starting the car and driving back to her house.

When they arrived at Cosima’s place, it was empty, as Cosima said it would be.  “They left this morning,” Cosima explained quickly.

“So,” Cosima started, after Delphine sat down at the kitchen table.  “I thought that I would make you dinner.”

“Really?” Delphine asked, grinning.

Cosima nodded.  “Yup!  Picked up all the ingredients and everything.  So you just sit down, and we can talk and stuff, but you don’t have to lift a finger, princess.”  Cosima added a wink after for good measure.

Delphine glared at her.  “What did we agree about that?” she huffed.

“Fine, fine!” Cosima said.  “No princess.  But I’m still gonna cook for you.”

And cook is what Cosima did.  Or, at least, it’s what she attempted.  Delphine wasn’t even trying to distract her, but Cosima kept talking with her hands and coming over to kiss her and, well, eventually the stove caught fire and that was that.

Cosima was very quick with the fire extinguisher, putting out the flames before the smoke alarm went off, but dinner was still ruined.

“Okay, so _maybe_  I’m not a very good chef,” she confessed with a shrug.  “I thought since I had a recipe it wouldn’t be too hard.”

Delphine giggled.  “It’s alright, ma chérie,” she said, getting up and grabbing Cosima’s hands.  “I’m just glad you’re not hurt.  And that you didn’t burn the house down.”

Cosima nodded.  “Yes, burns are not very attractive.  Nor very pleasant.”  She shuddered, thinking about it.  “So, pizza?  We can watch a movie while we wait.”

“C'est parfait,” Delphine said, and kissed Cosima’s fingers.

Cosima sighed dreamily.  Then she shook her head and remembered the good news.  “I also have wine!” she exclaimed, jumping away from Delphine and towards the cabinets.  “That’s the best part about parents being gone.  Plus, it tastes much better than beer.”

“Won’t your parents notice it missing?” Delphine asked, furrowing her brow.

“Nah, they won’t notice one bottle,” Cosima said.  She grabbed a bottle of wine out of the cabinet and set it on the counter.

Cosima opened one bottle and poured them each a glass.  She watched Delphine try it, and smiled when her face showed that she liked it.

“Now,” Cosima said, gesturing to the living room.  “You can go pick out something to watch, and I’ll order the pizza.”

They watched  _Up_ , which was apparently Delphine’s favorite movie.  They had to pause it briefly when the pizza came halfway through before continuing it while munching on their dinner.  They also almost finished their bottle of wine and were therefore pleasantly buzzed.

Cosima ended up cuddling with Delphine in the corner of the couch, Delphine’s arms wrapped around her, and Cosima’s head resting in the crook of Delphine’s neck.  They continued to sit like this for a while, even after the movie was finished.  Cosima sighed in content when Delphine tangled their fingers together in front of her; she brought their hands up to her mouth and kissed Delphine’s knuckles.

They stayed like that until they were forced out of the position but the unpleasant ringing of Delphine’s phone.

Cosima reluctantly crawled out of her lap and curled up on the other end of the couch, allowing Delphine to retrieve her phone and answer it.

“Allô?  Ah, bonsoir peré,” Delphine said, a little breathless.  “Oui, ça va. Ҫa va?”

Cosima watched Delphine as she spoke with her father in French.  She didn’t understand a word that was being said, but watching her try to act sober was very cute.  Her face was red and she was nodding a lot and kept looking at Cosima.  Then, to Cosima’s surprise, she ended the conversation in English.

“Yes, Cosima knows I have to be home by midnight.  Ok.  Adieu.”

Delphine breathed a sigh of relief as she dropped her phone onto the coffee table.  “I thought he was going to figure out that I’m drunk!” she gasped.  “I would be in so much trouble if he knew!”

Cosima giggled and scooted closer to Delphine.  “Well he didn’t,” she said.  “And you’re adorable when you’re flustered.”

Delphine pouted, but Cosima just kissed her and hummed in content.

They broke apart soon after and smiled at each other, but there was something on Delphine’s mind.

“Cosima,” she started, “why didn’t you join your family this weekend?  Where did they go again?”

Cosima sighed and looked down.  “LA,” she said, and then shrugged.  “And I dunno.  I guess I just stopped going with them a while ago.”

“Why?” Delphine asked.  “It sounds like fun.”

Cosima stayed silent for a moment, but Delphine poked her arm affectionately and encouragingly.  “By stopped going I mean I stopped being invited,” she admitted softly.  “I mean, they go on these little excursions for concerts so often, so it’s a lot easier when it’s just my parents and Dylan and they don’t have to drag along a fourth person.  So I just stay home.  It’s nice getting the house to myself.”

Cosima still didn’t look up, or meet Delphine’s eyes.  Delphine frowned.  “Do you wish you could go with them?”

Cosima just shrugged again.  “I dunno.  Sometimes, I guess.”  Finally she looked up.  Her eyes met Delphine’s, caring and concerned, and Cosima managed a small smile.  “But not all the time.  Like now.”  She smirked mischievously.  “If I was with them, then I couldn’t do this.”

Then Cosima leaned in, closing the distance between them, capturing Delphine’s lips.  The kiss started out soft, but slowly grew in roughness as Cosima’s tongue demanded entrance and Delphine nipped at her lips.  They hadn’t gotten the chance to kiss like this since the night of the party and they reveled in the opportunity.  Delphine’s lips were soft and inviting, while Cosima’s were comforting and familiar.

Delphine’s hands snuck underneath Cosima’s shirt, and Cosima whined, falling back onto the couch with Delphine on top of her.  Delphine loved having Cosima beneath her, and the sounds that she made as her nails lightly scratched at the skin underneath her shirt.

Cosima, briefly forgetting that they were on a couch, tried to flip them over so she could be on top, but ended up just rolling them onto the ground, banging her head against the coffee table in the process.

“Ouch!” she gasped.  Delphine started laughing.  “Hey, it’s not funny!”  But Delphine’s giggles wouldn’t stop, and eventually Cosima found herself giggling along with her.  They stayed like that, legs on the couch, sprawled out on the floor, half under the coffee table, laughing until they were all laughed out, leaning into each other and trying to catch their breaths.

Eventually, Cosima picked herself up off the ground and held out a hand to Delphine up.  Once they were both on their feet again, she led Delphine upstairs to her bedroom.  She shut the door, which was pointless, really, because they were the only ones home.

“Is this okay?” Cosima asked.  After making out on the couch and then bringing Delphine up to her bedroom, her intentions were very clear.  She still wanted to make sure Delphine was comfortable.

Delphine swallowed thickly, but nodded and licked her lips.

Cosima smiled.  “Good.”  First, Cosima took off her glasses and set them aside. Then, she slipped her shirt off over her head, and shimmied her skirt down her legs and stepped out of it.

Standing in just her underwear, Cosima reached to her back to take off her bra, but Delphine grabbed her hand to stop her.  “Can I…?” she asked, trailing off, nervous and unsure of how to ask.

Cosima just nodded and smiled reassuringly.  “Yeah, of course.”

Delphine reached both arms around Cosima’s torso for her bra.  She fumbled with the clasp a little, struggling to get it undone, and turned red when she was unsuccessful, but Cosima just grabbed her arms to steady them.  Delphine hadn’t realized she was shaking.  “It’s ok,” Cosima said.  “You’re doing fine.”

Finally, Delphine got the clasp undone and Cosima helped her out by sliding the bra off her arms and dropping it to the ground.  Delphine was momentarily distracted when Cosima’s breasts were in full view.  “ _Oh_ ,” she gasped.  She reached out and pressed a hand softly to one of Cosima’s breasts.  She gave a little squeeze and felt Cosima’s nipple harden in her hand and heard a sigh leave her mouth.  She trailed her hand down Cosima’s stomach until she reached the waist of her panties.  Delphine’s other hand reached out and she used both hands to slide the material down Cosima’s legs.

Delphine just stared for a moment, teeth digging into her bottom lip, eyes trying to memorize every inch of skin on display.  Her heart threatened to burst from her chest with how hard it was beating.  Then, Delphine reached for the bottom hem of her dress to pull it off, but Cosima stopped her.  “Let me,” she said.

Cosima grasped the bottom of Delphine’s dress and pulled it over her head, then she removed Delphine’s bra and panties, like Delphine did for her.

They stood staring at each other for just a moment, before Cosima surged forward, kissing Delphine fiercely, pushing her back to the bed.  They fell onto the mattress, Cosima on top of Delphine, bodies pressed flush together, and Delphine moaned at the contact.  Her hands wound around Cosima’s waist to her back, feeling all the skin that was restricted from her the last time they were in this position.  She scratched her nails up Cosima’s back, then ran her palms down again.  She didn’t stop at Cosima’s back, though and kept moving lower to feel the curve of Cosima’s ass.  She gave a squeeze and Cosima’s hips bucked forward into hers.

Delphine giggled against Cosima’s mouth as she moaned.  She loved eliciting these reactions from Cosima and wanted to do more.  Delphine bent her knee a little to lift her thigh and press up between Cosima’s legs.  Cosima gasped and her hips bucked again; this time she slid against Delphine’s thigh, and Delphine could feel how wet she was.

Suddenly, Delphine pulled her lips away from Cosima’s, breathing heavily.  Cosima’s brow furrowed, but once the shock wore off she looked down at Delphine.  “Do you want to stop?” she asked, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice.

“Non,” Delphine said, and kissed her again in reassurance.  “Non, I just, euh… can I—I mean, I want to touch you.”  She winced at how awkward that sounded, but Cosima smiled and nodded, understanding what Delphine was trying to say.

Cosima moved from her position on top of Delphine and settled on the bed next to her.  “Touch me,” she said.

Delphine gaped and shook her head.  “I don’t—I don’t know what…”

“Hey, it’s ok,” Cosima said.  She leaned in and kissed Delphine softly.  She grabbed Delphine’s hand in her own and led it between her legs.  Delphine gasped when she felt Cosima.  She moved her fingers experimentally, listening to Cosima hiss at every touch.

Cosima helped guide Delphine’s fingers into her, helped her find a rhythm, sliding in and out at a pace that worked Cosima closer.  Cosima’s own hips thrust into Delphine’s fingers, and one of her hands grabbed her own breast.  When Delphine saw her do this, she moved Cosima’s hand and squeezed with her own hand.

Her lips found Cosima’s once again and they kissed while Delphine continued to work her fingers, and Cosima continued to squirm and moan beneath her.  Delphine’s arm was getting tired, and she knew her thrusts were messy and they were getting slower, but she wanted Cosima to feel like she made her feel in the back of the car.

“Don’t stop,” Cosima groaned, but she knew Delphine wouldn’t be able to keep this up much longer, so she reached a hand between her own legs to touch herself and help Delphine.  After that, it wasn’t much longer before Cosima’s hips bucked one final time and her moans went silent as her body trembled and she clutched Delphine desperately.

Delphine watched as Cosima’s eyes squeezed shut and her mouth fell open but no sounds came out, and Delphine thought she had never seen a sight so beautiful, and she felt heat shoot between her own legs.  She kissed Cosima down, but then stopped to let Cosima catch her breath.

“Well,” Cosima said, still breathing heavily.  “That was something.”

Delphine frowned.  “Good something or bad something?” she asked.

Cosima giggled.  “Good!  Definitely good.”  She rolled on top of Delphine and kissed her, open mouthed and sloppy and lazy, but it was a good kiss.  Suddenly it wasn’t as lazy when Delphine started nipping at her lips and fisting her hands in Cosima’s hair.

Cosima pulled her lips away from Delphine’s and moved them to her neck, scraping her teeth against skin as she slipped a thigh between Delphine’s legs.  Delphine was already so sensitive, and very turned on from pleasuring Cosima.  She bucked against Cosima’s leg and moaned loudly.

Cosima grinned, realizing how ready Delphine was and how easy it would be to get her off.  She thrust her own hips into Delphine’s, and Delphine moaned again.  “Oh, dieu,” she gasped, and the sound was like music to Cosima’s ears.  Delphine let her hips grind against Cosima, and Cosima matched her rhythm.  They moved against each other while Cosima teased Delphine’s neck with her lips and teeth; she listened to every gasp and moan that fell from Delphine’s lips, until Delphine’s thrusts became more unrestrained, and suddenly, she was shouting Cosima’s name, as she climaxed; her hips continued to move hard against Cosima, so Cosima kissed her until her thrusts slowed and her body stilled.

Cosima rolled off of Delphine and waited for her breathing to even out before curling up into her side and wrapping an arm around her waist.  She looked up at Delphine’s face, and Delphine looked so tired.  Her eyes were starting to fall shut, but there was a contented smile on her lips.  She wrapped her arms around Cosima and kissed the side of her head.

“You know,” Delphine whispered, exhaustion noticeable in her voice, “I think you are the best thing that’s happened to me.”

Cosima didn’t know what to say to this.  So instead of saying anything, kissed Delphine softly.  Delphine smiled, then snuggled closer into Cosima’s side.  Exhausted and blissful, they both slowly drifted off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! Less than a week between updates! What is happening?! After all the lovely feedback from the last chapter, I wanted to get a new one out quickly. It's a little shorter, but there wasn't really anymore that I wanted to add to it. Thanks again for all your wonderful comments and support of this story! Also, big thanks to havuhadanosejob on tumblr for translating some French stuff for me.

When Cosima began to regain consciousness, the first thing she became aware of was the very naked body pressed very closely against her own.

The second thing she became aware of was the feeling of a steady breath against her neck.

The third thing she became aware of was the way a pair of arms were wrapped loosely around her body.

Cosima slowly opened her eyes to see Delphine curled up next to her, head resting on Cosima’s shoulder, still sleeping peacefully.

Cosima just looked at Delphine for a while, appreciating her natural beauty while she was unconscious and unaware of Cosima’s wandering gaze.  Delphine’s brow was furrowed, just a little, as though she were thinking hard about something, and her lips were slightly parted to let her breath escape from between them.  Cosima could feel Delphine’s chest rise and fall against her with every breath she took.  She marveled in the way Delphine’s hair was gracefully strewn across the pillows.  Cosima sighed contentedly; Delphine was so beautiful.  She could get used to waking up like this.

Cosima couldn’t help herself from scooting her face closer to Delphine’s and bumping their noses together, before placing a soft kiss on her lips.

Delphine hummed softly as her eyes fluttered open, blinking away the sleep.  “Mmm, Cosima?” she asked sleepily.

“Hey there, beautiful,” Cosima said as she smiled and kissed her again.  Delphine’s arms tightened around her as she kissed back.  They moved lazily, both content with just the light brush of lips and tongue and not desperately in need of more.

Their kisses gradually slowed, and eventually ended with Cosima giving Delphine little pecks on her lips and cheeks.  Delphine giggled and scrunched up her face, pushing Cosima away playfully.  “What time is it?” she asked, still sleepy.

“Hm, I dunno,” Cosima hummed, and pressed her lips to Delphine’s once more.

Delphine pushed Cosima away and sat up straight, suddenly wide awake.  “Cosima, what time is it?”

“What?” Cosima asked, thrown off by the sudden mood change.  “I don’t know, why?”  Delphine just stared at her until she figured it out.  “Oh, shit,” Cosima muttered, her eyes growing wide.  “Your curfew.  Shit!”  Cosima jumped out of bed and fumbled through the clothes on the ground, fishing in her skirt pocket for her phone.  When she found it, she checked the time on the screen.  “Fuck!”

“Cosima, what time is it?” Delphine asked, worried.

Cosima looked at Delphine and pressed her lips together nervously.  “It’s 5:30.”

“In the morning?” Delphine asked.  Cosima nodded.  “Merde!”  She followed Cosima out of bed and started gathering her clothes from the ground.  She spoke while she pulled on her underwear and her dress quickly.  “J’y crois pas! C’est pas possible! Pourquoi on s’est endormies? Comment j’ai pu m’endormir?! Mes parents vont me tuer! Putain, non, je vais me faire incendier!”

Cosima also put on her clothes swiftly, but when Delphine started rambling in French, she came over and put her hands on Delphine’s upper arms, rubbing her soothingly, trying to calm her down.  “Hey, hey,” Cosima started.  “Baby, I don’t know what you’re saying.  It’s ok, everything’s going to be fine.”

“You don’t know that!” Delphine said.

“I know, I know, I’m sorry,” Cosima said.  “But if we just explain to them that we accidentally fell asleep they should understand, right?”

“And do you want to explain to them _why_ we fell asleep?”

Cosima’s face paled.  “Not really.”

Delphine looked at her pointedly and continued to search the ground even though she was already fully clothed.  “Where the fuck is my phone?!”

“I think you left that downstairs,” Cosima replied.

Delphine sighed and stormed out of the room, and Cosima followed right behind her.  When she found Delphine again in the living room, she was looking at her phone.

“I have twelve missed calls from my parents!” Delphine gasped.  “I am going to be in so much trouble!”

“Hey, I’m sorry,” Cosima muttered, looking down.  She couldn’t help but feel like it was her fault they fell asleep, and now Delphine was upset.

Delphine noticed the change in Cosima’s attitude and sighed.  “It’s not your fault.”

Cosima shrugged.  “But it kind of is,” she said.  “I just wanted us to have a good night but then I messed everything up and now you’re upset and your parents are probably going to hate me.”

“Hey, it’s just as much my fault as it is yours,” Delphine said.  “They can hate both of us.”  She stepped up to Cosima and wrapped her arms around the smaller girl, hugging her tightly.  “And I did have a good time,” she added.

Cosima leaned back to look at Delphine and smiled.  “Yeah?”

Delphine nodded.  “Oui,” she said, and kissed her.

“I really am sorry, though,” Cosima said after they broke apart.

“I know,” Delphine said.  “Let me call my parents so they know what happened, and then you’ll probably have to take me home.”

Cosima nodded, and Delphine stepped to the other side of the room to make her phone call.

“Hello, maman?” Delphine said after a moment.  “Yes, I am fine.  I’m so sorry, we were watching a movie and just fell asleep, and my phone was in a different room.  Yes, Cosima can take me home now.  I’m really sorry!  Ok.  Ok, I will see you soon.  Bye.”

Delphine hung up the phone and took a deep breath.

“Well?” Cosima asked.  “Did she sound mad?”

Delphine shook her head.  “Not really, but sometimes it’s hard to tell when she’s angry.  And she’s usually angry.”

Cosima gulped.  “I guess I should get you home quick then.”

“That would probably be best,” Delphine agreed.

Cosima drove to Delphine’s house in silence, both girls too nervous to even say anything to each other.  Cosima fidgeted anxiously and her fingers twitched, so Delphine reached across the gap between their seats to grab her hand.  Cosima looked over at her and offered a small smile.  Delphine squeezed her hand and continued to hold on the rest of the drive.  When they arrived at Delphine’s house, neither of them made any move to let go.

“I could go in with you?” Cosima offered.  “So you don’t have to face the music alone.”

Delphine smiled.  “As much as I appreciate that, I think you coming in with me might do more harm than good right now.”

“Of course,” Cosima sighed and pursed her lips.

“Hey,” Delphine said, squeezing her hand again.  “As soon as they’re finished with me I will call you, ok?”

Cosima nodded and did her best to smile.  She leaned in to give Delphine a brief kiss.  “Good luck,” she said.

“Thanks,” Delphine said, and got out of the car.  She walked up the driveway to the front door, then turned around to give Cosima one last wave before going inside.  Cosima saluted and gave her a thumbs up.  Despite the circumstances, Delphine felt herself giggle.  She blew a kiss, and then went inside.

Delphine’s parents were waiting for her in the living room.

“Do you want to explain yourself?” her father asked.

“I’m sorry,” Delphine said.  “We were watching a movie and fell asleep and I didn’t hear my phone.  It’s not Cosima’s fault, please don’t blame her.”

“You never missed curfew before you started spending time with this girl,” her mother added.

“I never had a curfew before because I never went out before!” Delphine said.

“Whoever’s fault it is,” her father interrupted, “something needs to be done so this doesn’t happen again.”

“It won’t,” Delphine said.  “I promise!”

“You can’t promise that, Delphine,” he said.

“I know, but—“

“You’re grounded,” he said.  “No more hanging out with Cosima, and no more phone.”

Delphine just nodded, knowing it would be useless to argue.  “How long?”

“Your mother and I will talk about it.  But for now, hand over your phone and go to your room.”

“Can I just call Cosima really quickly to tell her—“

“Delphine.”

Reluctantly, Delphine gave her phone over to her father and ran up the stairs to her room.  She closed the door and fell into bed, hoping that this wouldn’t last for too long.  She already missed Cosima.  Spending the night with Cosima had given Delphine a taste of something she hadn’t realized she so desperately wanted.

Delphine wanted to wake up every morning wrapped in Cosima’s embrace, whispering to each other and trading lazy kisses.  Before she had fully woken up and realized she missed her curfew, Delphine was the happiest she could remember being, and it’s all because of Cosima.

Delphine was worried because she had no way of telling her girlfriend that she was grounded.  She hoped that Cosima would be understanding of her indefinite lack of contact with her.  Delphine sighed and grabbed one of her pillows, hugging it close to her body, wishing that it was Cosima in her arms instead.

When Cosima got home, she didn’t go back to sleep.  She paced around her house, impatiently waiting for a call or a text from Delphine.  She just needed something so she could know what was happening.

When only an hour had passed, Cosima tried not to let herself worry.  It was possible Delphine was still being lectured by her parents, or maybe she had just forgotten.  It was fine.  Delphine would call her.

But soon, that hour turned into two, which turned into four, which turned into eight, and eventually it was Saturday evening and Cosima hadn’t heard so much as a syllable from Delphine since she dropped her off that morning.

She tried calling Delphine’s phone, but it went straight to voicemail.  She was starting to get worried.

Cosima warmed up some leftover pizza in the microwave for dinner so she wouldn’t starve when her phone started ringing.  She accidentally broke a glass and knocked over a chair as she bounded to the living room to answer it.  When she looked at the caller ID to see that it was just Sarah, she frowned.

“What do you want, Sarah?” Cosima said, irritated.

“Yeesh, Cos, who stuck what up your arse?”

“I’m not in the mood, Sarah.  What is it?”

“Oh shit, did Frenchie break up with you?” Sarah asked.

“No!” Cosima answered immediately.  “At least, I don’t think so.  She kinda got in trouble with her folks and she hasn’t called me since.”

“Damn,” Sarah said.  “You know what you need?”

“What?”

“To get shit faced,” Sarah replied.  “With me and Fee. Tonight.  Come with us!  That’s why I called anyway.”

“I don’t know, Sarah…”

“Come oooon!  It’ll be fun!  And Cal’s driving so we don’t have to worry!”

Cosima sighed.  She looked at the clock.  It was already 8, and the odds of Delphine actually calling were continually shrinking.  And she’d been driving Delphine the last few parties they went to, so Cosima was craving a fun night out.  “What the hell,” she muttered.  “Fine, I’ll go.”

Sarah let out a whoop of excitement.  “Awesome!  We’ll pick you up in like an hour, yeah?”

“Sounds good, Sar.  See you then.”

“Later, Cos.”

They hung up the phone and Cosima went up to her room to get ready.  She applied heavy makeup, perfecting the smoky eyes, and picked out a short dress and some tights to wear.

An hour later, almost on the dot, Cosima heard a horn honk from outside her house, revealing the presence of Cal, some senior that had a thing for Sarah, towing Sarah and Felix along with him.

Cosima glanced at her phone, but ultimately decided to leave it behind so she could just let loose tonight, without worrying about it.  She bolted down the stairs and out the door empty handed to join her friends in the car.

She hadn’t even been in the car a full minute when Felix said, “So, I hear you’re having lady troubles?”

Cosima groaned.  “Felix, I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Yeah!” Sarah piped up from the passenger seat, clearly already at least a little bit drunk. “No mentioning the French goddess, tonight is Cosima’s distraction!  We’re gonna have fun!”

“Thanks, Sarah,” Cosima laughed.  “And thanks, Cal, for the ride.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Cal said.  “Glad to help.”

When they arrived at the party, the music was already blaring and the front lawn was already trashed.  So were the people.  Cosima looked around at the atmosphere: the dancing, grinding, making out.  The last party she was at, Delphine was with her.  She thought of Delphine trying her first drink, Delphine’s body pressed up against hers as they danced, Delphine kissing the breath out of her…  Cosima wished Delphine was here with her again.

Felix noticed Cosima’s mood turn somber, so he quickly pulled her into the kitchen.  “Let’s get you a drink!” he said.  He poured her a cup of beer, which she downed quickly and handed it over for Felix to refill.

By the sixth drink, Cosima had forgotten why she was so upset in the first place.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your continued support of this story! It's definitely not over and I have a little more planned, but I just wanted to let you all know that I just started up school again and I'm taking 18 units, plus a bunch of other stuff, so I'm going to be very busy. I will try to write whenever I can, but updates will probably be less frequent. I promise I won't forget about this story though, don't worry! Thanks again for reading and commenting and stuff, and I will try to get up another chapter as soon as I can! Feel free to contact me on tumblr: tatianathevampireslayer. :)
> 
> Also, disclaimer: I don't play piano, so that is why all Delphine piano scenes are always really vague. If I got anything horribly wrong that needs to be fixed, please let me know! Thanks!

By Monday morning, Delphine still hadn’t called or texted, and Cosima had spent the rest of the weekend less than sober.  She drank enough to forget why she was upset and to forget about Delphine for a little bit, but by the time Cosima would wake up in the morning, she just felt even worse than she did the night before.  She didn’t want to do anything stupid, but she just needed something to get her through not talking to Delphine for the last few days.  At school, she was still hungover at lunchtime and had already drank three cups of coffee that day.

Cosima plopped herself down at a table with her friends, groaned, and buried her head in her arms.  “I’ve never been this hungover before,” she whined.

“Oh, come on,” Felix said.  “You’ve said that on at least eight different occasions.  This time isn’t any different.  You just need some greasy food.”  He slid his plate of French fries in front of her.  Cosima didn’t lift her head from the table, but she reached out one hand to grab a couple of fries and shoved them in her mouth.

“Delphine still hasn’t called?” Alison asked, concerned.  Cosima shook her head, and moaned again at how that movement made her want to throw up.  “I’m sure it’s nothing,” Alison continued.  “She’s probably just been busy.  I bet you she’ll call soon.”

“Alison, don’t take this the wrong way or anything,” Cosima started, “but I really don’t need your peppy optimism right now.”  Alison gasped, obviously offended, but Cosima paid no mind to that and continued.  “Delphine said she’d call me the moment her parents were through with her, and I haven’t heard anything from her since I dropped her off.  She doesn’t want to see me.”

“You don’t know that,” Alison said.  “What if her parents just won’t let her call you?”

“They wouldn’t do that!” Cosima said.  “Her dad kinda likes me.  I think.”

“You think?” Alison sighed.  “Cosima that’s probably the answer.  She wants to call you but she can’t.”

Cosima just shrugged and put her head back down on the table.  “I dunno.  And I can’t ask her so there’s no way for me to know.”

“Why not?”

Cosima lifted her head once again, only to give Scott, who had just spoken up, her signature _you’ve got to be fucking kidding me_ look.  “Scott, we just went over this.  She won’t answer my phone calls.  That’s why I can’t just ask her.”

“But you know where she lives,” Scott pointed out.  “Didn’t you say that you snuck into her bedroom that one time?  Why don’t you just do that again?”

Cosima’s eyes widened and she smiled for the first time that day.  “Scott, you’re a genius!”

“I am?” he asked.  Cosima nodded enthusiastically (then winced at the sick feeling she got after) and he grinned.

“Why didn’t I think of that?” Cosima asked.  “She said her parents go to bed early, I can just go over there tonight.”

“Cosima I don’t think that’s such a great idea—“

“Alison, please, shut up.”

Alison huffed but ultimately did not protest anymore.  Cosima stole a few more fries from Felix’s plate and, despite her still-throbbing head, sat up a little straighter, suddenly more optimistic about the day.

Cosima was ready to just skip out on the rest of her classes that day, but she wouldn’t be able to see Delphine until later that night, so she needed something to distract her until then.  Plus Alison made her promise that she would at least still go to her classes, so Cosima reluctantly obliged.

It wasn’t until 10:30 that night that Cosima finally got in her car to drive over to Delphine’s house.  She parked her car a few blocks away, just like the last time she snuck into Delphine’s room.

Cosima would be lying if she said she wasn’t nervous.  Alison could be right, and it could be that Delphine wasn’t calling because her parents wouldn’t let her, but Cosima had a knack for expecting the worst of any situation, and she was terrified that Delphine didn’t want to see her, that Delphine didn’t like her anymore.  The night that Delphine stayed over was probably the best night of her life, and Delphine had said that she had a good time, but Cosima was worried of the possibility that she didn’t feel the same.

Cosima was tired of being forgotten and left behind, and she didn’t want to lose Delphine as well.

She had made the smart decision of wearing sneakers tonight instead of heels, like the first night she had scaled this tree, and it was much easier to get up to Delphine’s bedroom window.  The light was off, which worried Cosima a little, but she still tapped lightly on the glass.  She waited.  And waited.

A few minutes had passed and nothing happened.  No one came to let her in, but no one came to shoo her away either.  Cosima adjusted herself on the tree to get a little more comfortable and tapped on the window again, a little harder this time.

Once again, no response.

Cosima was just about ready to give up and climb back down when the light flicked on, and she could see a silhouette through the curtains.  Quickly, Cosima knocked on the window one more time.  The figure inside froze, and slowly grew closer to the window where Cosima was waiting.

The curtains opened to reveal Delphine, wet hair, wrapped only in a towel, and very shocked.  After a moment, the shock disappeared and the biggest grin appeared on Delphine’s face; Cosima’s fears suddenly evaporated.

Delphine lunged for the latch to open the window and let Cosima inside.  Cosima hopped off her tree branch and into Delphine’s bedroom.  She had barely landed when Delphine threw her arms around her and held her close, kissing her cheeks.

“Oh, Cosima!” Delphine gasped.  “I’m so sorry!  My parents grounded me and took my phone!  I wanted to at least call and tell you but they wouldn’t let me!  I’m so sorry, ma chérie.”

Cosima suddenly felt terrible about her reckless behavior the rest of the weekend.  She was just so scared that Delphine didn’t want her anymore, or that she would forget about her; Cosima hadn’t been able to help herself and needed to do something to let her forget about Delphine for a few hours, but she was regretting it now.

Cosima didn’t know when she started crying, but suddenly her tears were on Delphine’s shoulder and she clutched onto Delphine for dear life as she cried.

“Hey, hey,” Delphine whispered.  “Are you okay?”  She ran her fingers through Cosima’s hair, lightly scratching her scalp, trying to comfort her.

Cosima opened her mouth to reply but all that came out was a sob, so she just shrugged her shoulders.  Delphine kissed the top of her head and squeezed her tighter for a moment before she let go.

“Hey, can I get dressed really quick?” Delphine asked.  “Then we can talk.”

Cosima sniffled and nodded, and Delphine pecked her on the cheek, then walked across the room to her closet.  Even though she was still crying, Cosima’s mood lightened up when Delphine looked back at Cosima, then dropped her towel and began to rummage through her clothes.  Cosima’s eyes trailed across her body, soaking up every inch of skin, before Delphine pulled on a pair of shorts and a tank top to cover herself.

Delphine returned to Cosima, grabbed her hand, and pulled her down onto the bed.  They curled up together; Cosima wrapped her arms around Delphine’s waist and buried her face in her neck, and Delphine draped an arm over Cosima’s shoulder and placed her other hand on Cosima’s hip.  She traced circles on Cosima’s hip bone with her finger and Cosima sighed and closed her eyes.

“Are you okay?” Delphine asked again.

This time, Cosima shook her head.  She scooted back, just enough to be able to look at Delphine while still being held in her arms.  “I thought you didn’t want me anymore.  You didn’t want to see me.  You were just gonna forget about me…”

Delphine frowned.  “Cosima, I could never forget about you,” she muttered, and kissed Cosima on the forehead.  “Why would you ever think that?”

Cosima shrugged.  “I dunno.  I’m forgettable.”

“Not to me,” Delphine said.

Cosima smiled, just a little.  “Man, I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have, like, jumped to conclusions.”

Delphine shook her head.  “Non, it is my fault!  I should’ve found a way to call you.  Please don’t blame yourself.”  Cosima just shrugged.  Delphine pulled her close again; she grasped Cosima’s arms, and rubbed her back, and twirled her hair.  She wanted to feel Cosima’s presence next to her, to make sure this wasn’t a dream, and that Cosima was really there.

She pulled Cosima’s face closer to hers and pressed their foreheads together; their noses bumped softly.  “I missed you,” Delphine whispered.  She closed the small distance between them, and brushed their lips together lightly.  Cosima hummed softly and pressed forward more, kissing her a little harder.  Cosima kissed her desperately and fearfully, like if she stopped kissing her, Delphine would just disappear before her.  She knew that wasn’t going to happen, but that didn’t stop her from not wanting to let go.

“I missed you too,” Cosima mumbled after they broke apart.

“I’m sorry,” Delphine said again.  She placed a hand on Cosima’s face and stroked her cheek with her thumb.

“Hey, it’s fine,” Cosima said.  “You’re here now.  That’s what matters.”

Delphine nodded, but then she said, “Technically, you’re the one who’s here.  This is my room, remember?”  Cosima rolled her eyes, then leaned in to kiss her once more.  After that, they just stayed like that, cuddled together, looking into each other’s eyes.  They couldn’t say how long they laid there; it could’ve been minutes or hours, but it would never be long enough.

Eventually, Cosima spoke up again.  “How long?”                

“Hm?” Delphine muttered.

“How long are you grounded?” Cosima asked.

Delphine shrugged.  “Indefinitely?  They haven’t decided yet.”

“Man, that sucks.”

Delphine nodded in agreement.  “You’ll come visit me though, yes?”

Cosima smiled.  “Every night,” she said, and kissed her again.

“So,” Cosima said, suddenly sitting up, “how’s grounded life?  Are you hella bored?”

Delphine groaned and buried her face in her pillow.  “Extremely.”

“Well, now you’ve got me here to cure that.”  Cosima grinned, and Delphine just rolled her eyes.

“I am really sorry, though,” Delphine said.

Cosima shrugged.  “Don’t worry about it.”  She looked around the room, and then her eyes fell on the piano across the room.  “Ooh, you should play me something!”  Cosima bounded over to the piano and sat down on the bench in front of it.  She put her fingers on the keys and pressed down, but the piano was off so no noise came out.

“I can’t!” Delphine protested.  “My parents are asleep, we have to be quiet!”

“So just turn down the volume,” Cosima said.  “And even if they hear, you’re just playing piano so they’d be cool with it.”  Delphine shook her head.  “Pleeeease?”  Cosima stuck out her bottom lip in a pout, and Delphine couldn’t resist.

“Fine, fine,” Delphine muttered, and sat down next to Cosima.  “But just one song!”

Cosima grinned and gave Delphine a kiss on the cheek.

It ended up being a lot more than one song.  Delphine played a song she had written, and when that finished, Cosima begged for more, so Delphine played another, and another, and eventually, she was just throwing together chords off the top of her head into some new melody.  She wasn’t playing anything written, so sometimes her fingers would fumble over a few keys, or she would transition to chords that didn’t sound good together, but Cosima seemed to be enjoying it well enough.

Cosima smiled as she watched Delphine play.  She watched Delphine’s fingers glide across the keys.  She watched Delphine’s relaxed smile as she played for herself and for Cosima, rather than under the pressure of her parents.  The music was soft but it filled Cosima’s entire body, and she felt content, happy.

Suddenly, there was a knock on Delphine’s bedroom door.  Cosima’s eyes widened and she quickly threw herself to the ground and crawled underneath Delphine’s bed before Delphine opened the door.

Delphine’s mother stood on the other side, looking half asleep.  “Are you playing piano?” she asked.

Knowing she had woken her mother up and therefore couldn’t lie, Delphine looked down and nodded.

Her mother sighed.  “As much as I appreciate you practicing all hours of the night, your father and I are trying to sleep.”

“I’m sorry, maman.”

“It’s alright, dear,” she replied.  “Just try to keep it down?”

Delphine nodded.

“Merci.  Bonne nuit.”

  
“Bonne nuit.”  Delphine closed the door behind her mother and listened for her footsteps to disappear down the hall, then breathed a long sigh of relief.  “That was close,” she whispered.

She got on her knees to help Cosima squeeze out from under the bed.  As soon as she was up, Cosima fell back onto the bed, and Delphine followed her.  “Yeah,” Cosima nodded.  “A little too close.”

“It’s okay,” Delphine said.  “If we’re quiet she won’t come back.”

Cosima just nodded, but Delphine could tell that she wasn’t convinced.  However, she didn’t try to press Cosima any further, and instead leaned into her and kissed her.  Cosima sighed and moved her hands to Delphine’s face, pulling her closer, and let her tongue brush against Delphine’s lips.  Delphine couldn’t help the moan that escaped into Cosima’s mouth.

Cosima broke the kiss and giggled.  “If we keep this up, I don’t think we’ll stay quiet for very long,” she whispered.

“I think you’re right,” Delphine agreed.  She pressed their lips together once more, and then turned around so her back was facing Cosima.  Cosima wrapped her arms around Delphine’s waist and tugged her closer to her own body; she tangled their legs together and kissed the back of her neck.  Delphine sighed in content and her eyes fluttered shut, suddenly realizing how tired she was.  “Will you stay until I fall asleep?” she asked.

Cosima smiled into her skin.  “Of course,” she muttered.  They cuddled just a little closer, and Delphine felt herself slowly drifting off, finally comfortable and happy once again in Cosima’s arms.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for being patient and continuing to support this story, it means a lot to me. I promise I won't forget about it! Enjoy the update :)

Delphine awoke to the sun peeking through her window and hitting her closed eyelids.  She wrenched her eyes open and squinted.  The other side of the bed was empty, but the blankets were still creased and the pillow was still dented, and across the room her window was hanging open—lingering signs of Cosima’s presence even after she had left.

She didn’t know how long ago Cosima had left her side, but it was the best night of sleep Delphine had gotten in a very long time.  And Cosima even promised to come visit her again tonight! Maybe this grounding wasn’t going to be so bad.

After a knock at her door, Delphine glanced at the clock and realized just how late it was. Her mother was going to be so upset.

“Delphine!” her mom called through the door; she did not sound happy.  The door opened.  “Delphine, you were supposed to be up hours ago!  You need to start your school work so you have time to practice later.”

“I’m sorry, maman,” Delphine apologized, “I forgot to set my alarm.”

“It’s fine,” her mother sighed.  “Just hurry. I’ve made breakfast already.”

With that, she left the room, leaving Delphine to get up on her own.

When Cosima got to school, she was no longer bitter and upset, but grinning and bright eyed and ready to face the day.

Her friends noticed the change in her demeanor the moment they saw her outside in the morning before school started.

“I take it last night with Frenchie went well then?” Sarah asked.  Cosima nodded, grinning.  “Did you get laid?”

“No, Sarah!” Cosima exclaimed.  “God, we just talked for a while until she fell asleep.  It was nice.”

“I never thought I’d see you this happy after not having sex,” Felix chimed in.  Cosima glared at him.

“Well I for one am glad she doesn’t hate you,” Alison said.  “And I’m sorry for doubting you yesterday, Cosima.  It’s a good thing I was wrong though.”

“Thank you, Alison.”  Just then, Scott walked up.  Before he knew what was happening, Cosima tackle-hugged him and started kissing his cheeks.  “And thank _you_ Scott for your brilliant idea!”

“So Delphine doesn’t hate you?” he asked.

“No!  She’s just grounded and has no phone for a while, which I feel really bad about and it sucks, but she definitely doesn’t hate me.” Cosima thought about her night with Delphine again.  Kissing her, holding her, falling asleep together, and sighed.  She had never felt so close to another person before, and it scared her, but it also excited her.

“You really like her, don’t you?” Alison asked, smiling at how happy her friend was.

Cosima just shrugged dismissively.  “I dunno, I mean, I guess.”  She tried to change the subject, but her friends (well, Sarah and Felix) wouldn’t let it go.

“Awwwwww,” they rang out in unison.

“Is our little Cos falling in love?” Sarah teased, laughing.

“What?!” Cosima exclaimed defensively.  “No, of course not, we just met and we’ve only been on like one real date and—“

“Oh stop it, you should see how red your face is right now,” Felix laughed.

Cosima groaned and was about to protest again, but just then, the bell rang.  She rushed off to class leaving her friends in the dust.

“This isn’t over, Niehaus!” Sarah called after her.  “We’ll see you at lunch!”

Unfortunately for Cosima, her first class of the day was with Alison.

Alison ran and caught up with Cosima, who glared at her, but nonetheless slowed down.

“What?” Alison asked. “I wasn’t the one teasing you!”

“Yeah but you were the instigator.  You instigated!  They’re never gonna leave me alone now.”  Cosima huffed and sat down at her seat in the back of the classroom.  Alison sat down next to her.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything,” Alison said.  “I just like seeing you happy.”  Cosima smiled at her.  After a moment, Alison spoke up again.  “So, are you?”

“Am I what?”

“Falling in love?”

Cosima smiled down at her desk and bit her lip.  “I dunno.  I think so?”  She looked up at Alison and saw her grinning.  Cosima glared and punched her in the arm.  “You can’t tell anyone though, ok?  Sarah and Felix’ll never let me hear the end of it.”

“Your secret’s safe with me.”  Alison smiled.  “So do you know how long she’s grounded?”

Cosima shrugged.  “Indefinitely?  It sucks not being able to talk to her whenever, but I’m gonna go over again tonight after her parents are asleep, so at least I can still see her.”

“Are you sure that’s such a good idea?” Alison asked.  Cosima looked at her incredulously.  “I just mean, you’ve already gotten her grounded.  What if you get caught and she gets in even more trouble?”

Cosima shook her head.  “That’s not gonna happen.”

“But what if—“

“Alison, just lay off, will you?” Cosima snapped.  “I know what I’m doing.”  Alison promptly shut her mouth.  Cosima turned away and didn’t talk to her for the rest of the class period, but Alison’s words echoed throughout her head all day.

When Delphine finished her schoolwork for the day, she went downstairs to her parents who were already waiting for her.

“We have very exciting news for you, Delphine!” her father said.

“You have a spot in the Duncan showcase!” her mother exclaimed.

Delphine was thrilled.  The event was known for showcasing a whole variety of up and coming talent, and many performers had their big breaks there.

“Now, we’ll have to add extra practice hours so you can perfect your routine, we’ll have to start straight away!”  Her mother walked away and when Delphine didn’t follow, she turned around.  “Come on, time to practice!”

Ten minutes into practice, Delphine’s excitement had faded away.  Her mother wouldn’t let her get through the whole piece, she kept stopping her and making comments, and Delphine was annoyed.  It was a breath of fresh air when she left to prepare dinner, leaving Delphine to practice in peace.  But instead of practicing, Delphine eventually decided to take a break, and she played a different song.  She closed her eyes and smiled as her fingers danced across the keys and played from memory.  She didn’t know how long she was playing or how many times she played it, but when she finished, she heard a cough from behind her.

“Maman!” Delphine spun around to see her mother watching her.  “How long have you been there?”

“Oh, not too long,” she said.  “What were you playing?  It was lovely.”

“Thank you, maman,” Delphine replied.  “It’s, euh, just something that I wrote.”

“You wrote that?” her mom asked, surprised.  “I knew you were talented, but that was wonderful!”

“Merci.” Delphine blushed and smiled.  If her mother thought it was good, if she liked it, maybe she wouldn’t be upset if… Delphine took a deep breath.  “Maman?  I wanted to ask you… what do you think of songwriting?”

“What, like composing?” she asked.  “I think that’s wonderful!”

“No, no, not composing really,” Delphine explained.  “Songwriting.  With lyrics and singers performing them and stuff.”  Her mother looked at her curiously.  “As a profession, I guess.”  She shrugged nervously and looked down again.

The silence that followed was tense.  Delphine could practically hear the thoughts whirring around in her mother’s head.  Eventually, she spoke up.  “You can’t make a living out of writing silly little songs for people who can’t do it themselves.”

“Yes you can,” Delphine protested.  “Lots of people do!”

“That’s impractical, and a little ridiculous,” she said.  “You’ve spent so much time working to be a performer and do great things.  You can’t just throw that away for some silly idea!”

“Oh.”  Delphine didn’t look up.

“Do you understand what I’m saying?” her mom asked.  “I just want what’s best for you.”

“I get it.”

“Come, dinner is ready.”

“Ok.”

Her mother walked away, leaving Delphine sitting alone at the piano bench.  She sighed and took a moment to compose herself; she didn’t want her mother seeing how upset she actually was.

Delphine had been writing songs for years, usually just for fun, but she enjoyed it, and it was something she was good at.  She wished her mother would support that.

Delphine ended up skipping dinner and going straight to her bedroom.  It wasn’t until almost 8 that her father knocked at her door with a plate of food for her.  He didn’t know what happened, but he was sympathetic, and Delphine appreciated that.  She accepted the food, but it didn’t help lift her spirits after her mom’s utter rejection of something she had been thinking about for a long time.  She was still in a bad mood an hour later when there was a tap at her window.

Delphine jumped.  Another tap.  She had almost forgotten Cosima was coming again tonight.  She rushed to the window to open it, but Cosima wasn’t there.  She looked down and saw Cosima standing on the ground with a handful of pebbles.

“What are you doing?!” Delphine whispered as loud as she could.

Cosima shrugged.  “I thought it’d be romantic.”

Delphine rolled her eyes.  “Nerd,” she said.

“What?”

“Just get up here!” she smiled.

Cosima scaled the tree outside her window with ease, and moments later she crawled through the window and into Delphine’s arms.

“Hey,” Cosima whispered, grinning, arms wrapped around Delphine’s neck, and gave her girlfriend a peck on the lips.  Cosima grabbed Delphine’s hand and led her to the bed where they sat down together.  Delphine squeezed Cosima’s hand in her own and smiled.  After her awful afternoon, seeing Cosima made her feel so much better, and Delphine was thankful for her presence.  She wondered if Cosima would support what her mother wouldn’t.

“What are you thinking about?” Cosima asked.

Delphine shook her head.  “Nothing.”

Cosima bumped her shoulder against Delphine’s.  “Come on, it’s not nothing,” she said.  “You can tell me.”

Delphine sighed.  “I just… I told my mother something today that she wasn’t very happy with.”  She hesitated and glanced at Cosima.  Cosima didn’t prod or ask any further questions, she just allowed Delphine to take her time and continue whenever she was ready.  “What would you think, if I wanted to write music?”

“What, like a songwriter?”

Delphine nodded.

Cosima paused to think, but after a moment, she grinned.  “That would be awesome!”

“Really?” Delphine asked, shocked.

Cosima nodded enthusiastically.  “Absolutely!  I mean, I’ve heard some of the stuff you’ve written and it’s really good!  You’d be amazing!  You _are_ amazing!”

“You really think so?”

Cosima nodded again.  “Obvs.”

Delphine knew Cosima was wonderful and cared about her, but she hadn’t expected her to be so supportive, especially after her mother’s reaction.  It caught her off guard, but it excited her.  Delphine gazed at Cosima as her lips turned up into a smile.  Delphine looked at Cosima and saw her excited grin and the light in her eyes and the way the balls of her cheeks turned rosy under her gaze.  She opened her mouth and was surprised by the words that slipped out.

“I love you.”

And suddenly, Cosima was no longer giggling.  Delphine couldn’t read the look on Cosima’s face and it scared her.  Part of her wished she could take the words back, but another part didn’t wish it, not at all.

But then Cosima’s lips were on hers, soft and loving, kissing her, saying everything that her voice wasn’t in the moment.  Delphine’s arms slipped around her waist, pulling her closer.  Cosima straddled her lap and kissed her.

Delphine didn’t know how long they kissed, but soon Cosima’s lips slowed, and she placed lazy kisses on her cheek.

“I love you too,” Cosima mumbled against her skin, “if that wasn’t clear.”

Delphine giggled and nuzzled her nose under Cosima’s chin.  Her lips found Cosima’s neck where she left soft, open mouthed kisses, and Cosima squirmed in her lap.  She reached for skin under Cosima’s shirt, and after a moment, Cosima leaned back and slipped off her own shirt.  She kissed Delphine again, tongue pressing against her lips and into her mouth, and Delphine sighed; she reached around Cosima’s back for her bra, and it took a few tries, but she finally got it unclasped and off.

Suddenly, Cosima stood up, and grabbed Delphine’s hand, standing her up too.  She reached for the hem of Delphine’s dress and lifted it over her head.  Cosima kissed her again.

Delphine tried to pull away, unsure, but Cosima was relentless.  “Mm, Cosima, I—mm, wait!” Delphine took a step back.  “What if my parents hear?”

Cosima grinned and stepped closer, wrapping her arms around Delphine’s waist and standing on her tip toes.  She hesitated a breath away from Delphine’s lips.  “I guess we’ll have to be very quiet then, won’t we?”

Silently, Delphine nodded.  Cosima pecked her lips softly.

She shimmied out of her pants and slipped her glasses off her face, and then led Delphine onto the bed again.  “Lie back,” she whispered.  Delphine did as she said and fell back on the pillows, and Cosima crawled on top of her and kissed her again.

It was brief, and soon Cosima’s lips were gone, and reappeared again on her stomach.  Delphine gasped when Cosima’s tongue dipped into her belly button.  She kissed lower and her lips were at the waist of her underwear.

“Cosima,” Delphine gasped, “what are you…?”

Cosima hesitated.  “Is this ok?” she asked.  “I can stop if you want.”

“No!” Delphine squeaked, almost too quickly.  “Don’t stop.  You can…”

Cosima smiled and pulled Delphine’s panties down and out of the way.  She settled between her legs and kissed her thigh.  Delphine gasped.

“Shhhh,” Cosima whispered.  Delphine could feel the breath escape from her lips and it made her throb.  “You just have to be really quiet,” she said, kissing her again.  “Can you do that?”

Delphine bit her lip and nodded, wide-eyed.  She watched as Cosima grinned and dipped her head down between her legs again, and suddenly she screwed her eyes shut and bit down harshly on her own lip to keep from moaning.  She grabbed a pillow and placed it over her mouth.

Cosima was slow and hesitant.  Her tongue stroked delicately, tasting her and exploring.  Delphine whined into the pillow whenever her tongue would graze over her entrance.  Eventually, she moved the pillow for a moment and grabbed the back of Cosima’s head.  “ _S’il te plait_.”

Cosima moaned and Delphine felt it _everywhere_ , but then all she could feel a moment later was Cosima’s tongue sliding inside her.  Cosima thrust her tongue in and out a few times, and Delphine’s hips moved clumsily and she ground against Cosima’s mouth, gasping.

Cosima moved her hand and pressed her thumb to Delphine’s clit.  Delphine shuddered as the shock coursed through her.  She never felt as loved or as happy or as excited as she did when she was with Cosima, and Cosima showed her just how much she cared about her.

Cosima’s mouth worked her close and built her up, and Delphine was sweating and shaking.  Delphine came gasping Cosima’s name into her pillow and trembling against Cosima’s tongue.

When Delphine finally regained control of her breathing and her vocal cords again, she moved the pillow, and realized that Cosima had climbed up into bed next to her and was just looking at her lovingly.

“How are you feeling?” Cosima asked, and kissed her shoulder.

Delphine opened her mouth to reply, but all that came out was a yawn.  “Tired,” she muttered.  She rolled into Cosima’s arms and cuddled closer to her; she smiled and her eyes drooped as she realized how exhausted she was.  “I’m sorry.”

Cosima kissed her softly, and Delphine tasted a hint of herself.  “Hey, don’t worry about it.  Go to sleep.”  She climbed out of bed and started putting on her clothes.

“Where are you going?”

Cosima squirmed into her pants again.  “I’m exhausted,” she explained.  “If I don’t leave now, I’ll probably fall asleep, and we don’t want that.”

Delphine sighed.  “This sucks.”

“I know.”  Cosima sat down as she put on her shirt.  “But hey, guess what?” she asked, and leaned closer to Delphine again.

“What?” Delphine asked.

“I love you.”

Delphine smiled as Cosima gave her a kiss on the cheek.  “Je t’aime.”

“I’ll see you soon, ok?”

Delphine nodded.  She was having trouble keeping her eyes open.  When she saw Cosima approaching the window, she called out.  “Tomorrow?”

Cosima paused and turned around again.  “Tomorrow,” she agreed.

The last thing Delphine saw before she fell asleep was Cosima’s head disappearing out of her bedroom window.


	10. Chapter 10

The week continued and the days dragged on as Delphine longed to have Cosima in her arms once again each night.  The hours of practice each day seemed endless and she cherished every break she got.  On Thursday night, Cosima accidentally fell asleep in Delphine’s bed.  Delphine had to wake her up at 5 in the morning in a panic, hoping her parents were still asleep.

After Cosima left, it was always difficult for Delphine to fall back asleep.  She had grown used to her girlfriend being there to help her sleep.  This led to Delphine getting up extra early and practicing without her mother’s critical eye on her every move, and her mother was pleased about Delphine putting in the extra work.

“Keep up this work and you’ll be more than ready for the Duncan Showcase!” she would say.

Her mother didn’t know that Delphine would practice her original music in the mornings, and switch to her piece for the showcase when she knew her mother would be waking up.

On Saturday morning, Delphine’s parents called her to breakfast.  There was already a plate of eggs and toast waiting for her at the table when she arrived.

“Delphine, we would like to speak with you,” her father said.  Delphine’s eyes widened.  They must have somehow found out about her nightly rendezvous with Cosima.  She nodded and bit her lip, fearing the worst.

“You know we don’t like punishing you,” her mother continued.  “But sometimes it is necessary.  However, we see that you have learned your lesson and you are once again putting piano as your first priority, as it should be.”

Delphine nodded along, unsure of where this was going.

“Since you are no longer distracted by trivial things and working hard on your piece for the showcase, we have decided to lift your punishment, effective tomorrow.”

Delphine gaped; she couldn’t believe it.  “Really?!”

“Really,” her father replied.

“So I get to see Cosima again?” she asked, hopeful.

“Yes, of course.”  Her father smiled.

“With some restrictions,” her mother interjected.  “Only with approval from your father and I, and only if you have finished your piano practice for the day.”  Delphine nodded, grinning.  “And no more sleepovers!”

“Of course,” she replied.  “Thank you!”  She lunged across the table to give both her parents a kiss on the cheek.

“Eat your breakfast, and get back to practice,” her mother said, with a small smile.  “You’ll get your phone back in the morning.”

Delphine scarfed her breakfast down quickly, excited to get back to work.  She couldn’t believe her luck.  Soon, she would be able to see Cosima again, in the light of day, without having to sneak around.  She hated lying to her parents, but she loved Cosima enough to omit the truth.

Starting tomorrow, Delphine would be able to talk to Cosima anytime she wanted.  Her girlfriend would just be a quick text or phone call away.  She wouldn’t have to wait impatiently for Cosima to show up at her window in the middle of the night like a robber.

Delphine went back to her piano and played her heart out, excited for tonight, when she could tell Cosima the good news.

She kept practicing, but felt her joy seep into her playing and didn’t want this creative surge to go to waste.  She took a break from her piece for the showcase and played out a tune, fumbled with lyrics to go in place, and had a rough chorus of a new song before long.  Soon, her father walked in.  He watched her play for a few moments before Delphine saw him.

When Delphine noticed her father, she slammed her hands on the keys, stopping herself from playing anymore.  “Oh, papa!  I didn’t see you there.”

“What was that you were playing?” he asked.

“Euh, it was nothing.  I was just taking a break, messing around,” she stammered nervously.

“Delphine, canard, did you write that?”

Slowly, Delphine nodded.

For a moment, her father said nothing.  Delphine closed her eyes; she didn’t want to face the same ridicule she received from her mother.

“It sounds lovely.”

Delphine’s head jerked up.  “Really?”

Her father nodded.  “Of course,” he said.  “You’re quite good.”

Delphine smiled.  “Thank you papa.”

He smiled at her a moment, then left the room.  Delphine breathed a sigh of relief.  She smiled to herself, and then continued to play her song for a few more minutes.

As the day progressed, Delphine finished practice and returned to her room.  She continued to work on her new song for the rest of the night and only took a break when her mother called her down to dinner.

After dinner, Delphine opened the window for Cosima when she arrived, then went right back to her piano to keep playing.  Delphine wasn’t sure how long she was playing, it might’ve been hours, but the time just flew by.  She loved piano, but didn’t get creative freedom when she was just practicing for one of her many showcases or recitals.  When Delphine worked on her own music, she had freedom to do whatever she wanted.  She could throw in a crazy riff, or use chords that would clash in a traditional classical piece.

Delphine thrived on her creativity, and it’s what she truly enjoyed about playing piano.  She would never admit it out loud, but she couldn’t stand the cold, hard, calculated, rehearsed setting that her classical pieces provided.  If Delphine wanted to make her mother proud and uphold her title as a piano prodigy, she could never admit that, nor could she stray from what she had been doing her whole life.  But that didn’t mean that she couldn’t hope for more freedom in her art.

Delphine felt she was getting close to perfecting her song; she thought so as she played through it once again, for the hundredth time that night.  When she finished, she stared at the keys for a moment.  It was missing something, but what?

“That was beautiful.”

Delphine yelped, and jumped out of her chair.  She turned around, and found Cosima sitting on her windowsill with a small smile on her face.

“How long have you been there?” Delphine asked.

Cosima shrugged.  “Not long.”  She jumped into the bedroom and plopped down on Delphine’s bed.  “But I did get to hear most of your song.  Is that new?”  Delphine nodded.  “I love it.”

“Thank you,” Delphine muttered, smiling.  She turned around, picking up her notebook and pen she was using.  She shoved them back into a drawer.

Cosima got up from the bed and walked behind Delphine.  “And I love _you_.”  She circled her arms around Delphine’s waist and kissed her shoulder.

Delphine blushed.  “Je t’aime,” she said, and spun around to kiss Cosima’s lips.  “I have good news, chérie!  My parents say my grounding ends tomorrow.  I get my phone back, and I will get to see you again!”

“You’re seeing me now!” Cosima joked.

“I know, but we won’t have to sneak around anymore.  We can go out and spend time together.  We can stop hiding.”

Cosima grinned.  “That’s amazing.  I can’t wait to take you on another date!”  She pulled Delphine into another kiss, then dragged her to the bed.  “How’s practice going?  For the showcase.”

Delphine’s smile faltered, remembering her thoughts from earlier.  “It’s good,” she said.  “I think I have my piece down.”

“I can’t wait to see you up there,” Cosima said.

Delphine blinked.  “What?  You’re going?”

“Of course, I wouldn’t miss it!  I got my ticket as soon as you told me” Cosima replied.  “I want to support you.”

Delphine forced a smile.  She wasn’t sure if she wanted Cosima to see her performing when she’s not even sure if she wants to keep performing.  Cosima was used to seeing her playing her own music, and having fun.  She would probably be able to tell in a heartbeat that Delphine’s heart wasn’t in it.

Cosima could already tell that something was wrong.  “You ok?” she asked.  She tilted her head, curious and sympathetic.

Delphine nodded.  “Of course, I’m fine.”  Cosima raised an eyebrow, and Delphine sighed.  “It’s just… I’m not so sure if I really enjoy performing anymore.”  Cosima had quickly figured out how to always make her talk.

“What?” Cosima was shocked.  “But, why?  You’re so good!”

Delphine shrugged.  Cosima touched her hand in comfort, urging her to continue.  Delphine stood up and began pacing her room, unsure of how to say what she was thinking.  “I don’t know, I just- it’s so stiff and rehearsed.  There’s no room for freedom.  It’s stifling, sometimes.”

Cosima nodded in understanding.  “Not like your music.”

Delphine froze.  “How did you know?”

“Babe, I see how happy you are when you play your own stuff.  You clearly love it.”

Delphine nodded.  “Cosima, you can’t tell anyone.  My mother, if she found out, she would disown me!”

Cosima went over to Delphine and grabbed her hands.  “Of course I won’t tell anyone.  But if you don’t enjoy it anymore, why do you want to keep doing it?”

“I- I don’t know…” Delphine shook her head and frustrated tears sprung to her eyes.  “It’s all I’ve done my entire life!  I don’t know anything else!”

“Hey, hey, it’s ok.”  Cosima wrapped her arms tightly around Delphine, and Delphine cried into her shoulder.  “It’s ok to have doubts,” she said.  She rubbed Delphine’s back comfortingly, and hesitated before continuing.  “But it’s also never too late to try something new.”

Delphine cried for a minute longer, clutching tightly to Cosima, but soon she pulled back.  She sniffled and wiped her eyes.  Her eyes glowed as she gazed at Cosima in adoration.  “How do you do that?” she asked.

“Do what?” Cosima wondered, amused.

“How do you always say exactly the right thing?” Delphine said.  “How do you always know how to make me feel better?”

Cosima smiled, but before she could reply, Delphine pulled her up into a passionate kiss.  Cosima’s lips were soft against her own and their tongues slid softly together, and Delphine had never felt happier.

Neither of them heard the knock at the door.

Neither of them noticed the doorknob turn.

Neither of them saw the door fly open.

“Delphine, sweetie, I thought I heard crying—“

Cosima and Delphine quickly jumped apart and found Delphine’s mother facing them, gaping in shock.

“Wh-what is this?”

Delphine opened her mouth but she couldn’t find the words to speak.

“What is going on?”

Cosima glanced at Delphine, then back at her mother.  “I am so sorry, Mrs. Cormier.  We were just—“

“I was not talking to you,” Delphine’s mother spat.

Cosima immediately shut her mouth.

“Maman,” Delphine started, “I can explain.”

“NO!  I don’t want to hear it!” her mother exclaimed.  “All this time I thought you were working hard but you were just disobeying me!  How long has this been going on?”

“Since Monday,” Delphine replied quietly, staring at the floor.

“Monday?!”  Delphine’s mother began ranting in French, lecturing Delphine, reprimanding her.  Cosima couldn’t understand a word of it, but she was still terrified.

“And _you_!” Delphine’s mother said, switching back to English.  She glared at Cosima.  “Get out of my house.”

“Mrs. Cormier, I—“

“Get out!”

Cosima glanced at Delphine, who refused to meet her eyes.  She wanted to say something, anything, but she couldn’t.  She had no choice but to walk out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been so long I am so sorry. But a long time ago I promised that I wouldn't abandon this story and I am sticking to it! Thank you to those of you who held out for this long, even though it's definitely not worth the wait. Anyway, I'm planning on one or two more chapters, plus an epilogue, so we're getting to the end of it! Don't worry though, I have other fics planned once this one is finished.
> 
> I promise I won't disappear for eight months ever again. I'm so sorry.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and let me know your thoughts on the chapter! I always appreciate comments :)


	11. Chapter 11

When Cosima got home, she went to her room, took off her clothes, and then hit herself in the head with a pillow.  Repeatedly.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid!” she groaned.

She should’ve listened to Alison.  It was hard enough only getting to see Delphine at night, but now that Delphine’s sentence was probably extended and her parents probably hated Cosima, there was no hope.  She had to go and fuck it up as soon as Delphine was going to be un-grounded again.

Cosima wouldn’t say she was an emotional person, at least, she didn’t like to think she was, but she cried herself to sleep that night, wishing only for slender arms to hold her and soft kisses to wake her up.

Cosima spent the rest of the weekend moping.  She blasted loud, depressing music, and missed meals.  Dylan went to her room a few times to bring her some cold pizza so she wouldn’t go hungry.  Even when Sarah called and asked if she wanted to kick back on Sunday night, Cosima declined.

“What’s got your knickers in a twist?” Sarah asked.  “You never turn down a kickback.  Cal has a fake and he even picked up some Fireball, isn’t that your favorite?”

“I’m fine,” Cosima muttered.

“You don’t sound fine,” Sarah noted with concern.  “You alright, Cos?”

“I said I’m fine!” Cosima said before hanging up, silencing her phone, and throwing it across the room so Sarah couldn’t call her back and no one else would bother her all night.  Cosima wrapped her arms around her pillow and cried into it.

In the midst of her moping and crying, Cosima had forgotten about all the homework that was due on Monday morning, and didn’t realize it until 8 AM while sitting in biology class and Mr. Duncan asked everyone to get out their homework.

“Shit,” Cosima muttered under her breath.

“What is it?” Sarah asked from across the table.  They were lab partners, so they got a table all to themselves.

“I forgot the homework,” Cosima sighed.

“ _You_ forgot the homework?” Sarah was dumbfounded.  “Ok now I know something is seriously wrong.  Tell me what’s up.”

Before Cosima had the chance to respond, Mr. Duncan walked up to their table.  “Homework, ladies?”  Sarah handed hers in, but Cosima hesitated and twiddled her thumbs for a second.  “Cosima?”

“I, uhhh—I sorta forgot to do it,” Cosima admitted.  “I’m so sorry, I don’t have an excuse.  I don’t know what happened.”

Mr. Duncan nodded.  “Well, thank you for being honest with me.  Since you are my best student, I won’t hold this against you.  You can turn in the assignment tomorrow for partial credit.”

Cosima sighed in relief.  “Thank you so much!”

“Don’t let it happen again, Miss Niehaus.”

“I won’t!”

Cosima sighed again, then let her head fall to the table and groaned.  Sarah watched Mr. Duncan walk away and waited until he was out of earshot.  “Cos, what’s going on?”

Cosima looked up at Sarah.  “You can’t tell Alison, ok?” Sarah nodded.  “I don’t want her annoying _I told you so_.”

“What did you do?”

They waited until class got started so no one would pay them any attention, and Cosima explained what happened on Saturday night when she went to visit Delphine.

“Oh god, no wonder you’re so upset.”  Sarah shook her head.  “You want me to pay Mrs. Cormier a visit?  Teach her a lesson?”

“Absolutely not!  We all know your lessons involve less teaching and more illegal activity.  And I’m not mad at Delphine’s mom, I’m mad at myself.”

“How does Delphine feel about all this?” Sarah asked.

“That’s the worst part,” Cosima said.  “I don’t know.”  She sighed.  “After her mom yelled at me, she didn’t say anything.  Fuck, she didn’t even look at me.  She could hate me now for all I know!”

“I’m sure she doesn’t hate you,”

“You weren’t there, Sarah.  I couldn’t even tell what she was thinking.”  Cosima rubbed her forehead and sighed, remembering the way Delphine wouldn’t tear her gaze away from the floor.  She wouldn’t even look at her.  She didn’t even say goodbye.

Cosima gulped.  She was not going to cry.  Not here, not now.

“You can’t tell Alison, she’s the one who told me not to visit Delphine.”

“I won’t,” Sarah promised.

“Don’t tell Felix either cause he might tell Alison.”

“But—“  Cosima looked at Sarah desperately, and she didn’t want to say it, but Sarah could tell what she was thinking.  _Please_.  “Fine.  I won’t tell him.”

“Thank you.”

The school bell rang sharply, and their classmates darted out of their seats.  Sarah and Cosima slowly packed up their belongings.  “What the fuck did he even talk about in class today?” Sarah asked.

“Mitosis.”  Sarah’s eyes grew wide like she had just heard a foreign language.  “Don’t worry, I read this chapter last month.  I’ll catch you up.”

As Sarah promised, through break and all throughout lunch, she didn’t say a word, or even accidentally hint at what they had talked about in biology class.  Cosima hadn’t realized Sarah could be so reliable.

It wasn’t until after lunch that things started going downhill.  Cosima’s next class was American history with Alison.

Cosima sat in the back corner seat, and Alison plopped down next to her.  “How’d your paper turn out?”  she asked.

Cosima dropped her pen and looked at Alison.  “What paper?”

“You know, the short paper on a president?  We’re presenting them today.”  No response from Cosima.  “You did do it, right?”

Cosima couldn’t say anything.  She just shook her head.

“What?!” Alison was mortified.  “Cosima, this is a huge project!  It’s worth almost ten percent of our grades!  And you just forgot?!”

“I was busy, ok?” Cosima said defensively.

“Doing what?  Sneaking into your girlfriend’s house?  Sounds exhausting.”

Cosima didn’t say anything.  She glared at her desk.

“Fine, don’t talk to me,” Alison said.  “But good luck explaining that one to the teacher.”

Cosima glanced up at Mrs. Sadler who was marking down all the present students before starting class.  Fuck, which president was she even assigned anyway?  Cosima flipped through her notebook, knowing she had to have written it down somewhere.  She flipped through all her notes twice before she found it.  Squeezed inside the margins, she had written in tiny writing: “prez project – millard fillmore” and nothing else.

“Fuck,” Cosima whispered.  _Who the fuck is Millard Fillmore_?  Why couldn’t she have gotten someone easy like Abraham Lincoln or Barack Obama?  Cosima quickly typed his name into Google on her phone, but as soon as she clicked the link to Wikipedia, Mrs. S cleared her throat at the front of the room.

“Alright everybody, I hope you’re ready for presentations today.”  The class muttered unenthusiastically in unison.

“Come on, come on,” Cosima whispered, staring at her phone which was loading the web page at a snail’s pace.

“Miss Niehaus, since you’re on your phone you must be ready for the presentation,” Mrs. S announced.  “Why don’t you go first?”

Cosima gulped.  “Actually, umm, I was just—“

“I’d like to go first, Mrs. Sadler!” Alison called from next to her, raising her hand.

_I love you Alison_ , Cosima thought desperately, hoping her friend could read minds.  _I love you and I take back every mean thing I’ve ever said to you_.

“All right,” Mrs. S nodded.  “Cosima, you got lucky.”

Cosima nodded.  She opened her notebook and took out a pen, then placed her phone on top of the notebook and pretended to be taking notes on Alison’s presentation while she was actually reading up on Millard Fillmore – _seriously who the fuck names their kid Millard?_

Surprisingly, Mrs. Sadler didn’t call on Cosima after Alison’s presentation.  Nor did she call on her after that, or the rest of the class period for that matter.  When the bell finally rang, Cosima hurriedly packed up her stuff to get out of there, but she wasn’t fast enough.

“Cosima, could I speak with you for a moment?”

Cosima nodded and walked up to the front of the room.  Mrs. S waited until everyone finished placing their papers on her desk and left the room until she spoke.  “I take it you didn’t do the paper?”

“I’m so sorry, Mrs. S, I just—“

“I don’t want to hear excuses, Niehaus.  Normally I don’t accept late work, but seeing as this project is such a big part of your grade, I’m going to make an exception.”

“Thank you—“

“I wasn’t finished.”  Cosima nodded and shut her mouth.  “Instead, you’ll receive a three day in school suspension.  You’ll use that time to write the paper and presentation.”

“Suspension?  I—I’ve never—you can’t do that!”  Cosima exclaimed.

“If you’re not going to take school seriously, yes I can.  Now stop arguing before you’re in even more trouble.”  She went to her desk, pulled a sheet of paper out of a drawer, and started filling it out.  “Now, you’ll need to have your parents sign this form so they’re aware of your suspension.  You’ll meet Ms. Bowles in the library tomorrow morning at 8 AM sharp, just turn it in there.”

Cosima was gaping.  She had nothing to say, so she just snatched the paper from Mrs. S’s hand and stormed out the door.

How the hell was she going to explain to her parents that she was suspended?  Cosima had gotten away with her rebellious teenage years because she got good grades and stayed out of trouble, but this suspension might change things.

After school, Cosima put off going home and facing her parents.  She drove around aimlessly.  She went to the beach and got some ice cream, but couldn’t get her mind off of Delphine.  When it got later she drove by Delphine’s house, and thought about going up to her window, but she didn’t want to get Delphine into anymore trouble.  She sighed and drove home.

When she got home, Dylan was practicing violin in his room, and her parents were watching TV.  She figured now was as good a time as any, at least she didn’t have to face her brother too.

“Hey, uhh, mom?  Dad?”

“Oh, Cosima sweetie, is that you?” her father asked.  “Dinner’s on the table, you might have to warm it up.”

“Thanks,” Cosima said.  She made no move to get some dinner for herself.  Instead, she went into the living room with her parents.  They continued watching some dumb reality show that was on, not even realizing she was there.  She cleared her throat, and her parents tore their gaze from the TV.

“What is it dear?” her father asked.

“Um, I need you to sign something.”  Cosima rummaged through her backpack and pulled out the crumpled sheet of paper.  She handed it to her father.

“What’s this?” he asked, and started reading the paper.

“Oh, it’s nothing, just—“

“Suspension?”  He looked up at her, shocked.  “Cosima, what did you do?!”

“Nothing!” Cosima defended.  “I just forgot one little assignment and the teacher overreacted, it’s no big deal!”

“Cosima you’ve never been suspended before!” her mother interjected.

“You think I don’t know that?  It’s not even a real suspension, it’s an in school suspension.”

“What has gotten into you lately?” her mother asked.  “This whole weekend you’ve been moody and distant, and now you get suspended?  You know this isn’t okay.”

“I know, but—“

“Cosima you’re grounded,” her dad said.

“What?!”  Cosima was shocked.  “You’ve never grounded me before in my entire life!  I’m already suspended, isn’t that punishment enough?”

“First time for everything,” he replied.  “We don’t want you thinking this kind of behavior is acceptable.”

“Why now though?  The Duncan Showcase is this weekend, I already got my ticket!”

“I’m sorry Cosima, but you’re going to have to sell it or something,” her mom said.  “Maybe Dylan wants to go.”

“But I already told Delphine I would be there!” she pleaded.

“Just let her know you can’t come, I’m sure she’ll understand.”

Cosima opened her mouth to yell again but realized it would get her nowhere.  She just glared at her parents.  Her father finished signing the paper.  She snatched it out of his hand and went to her room without another word.

Cosima slammed her bedroom door shut angrily and kicked her dresser.  “Ow!”  She probably shouldn’t have done that.  She collapsed on a heap in her bed and cried.

A moment later, there was a knock at her door.  She quickly sat up and wiped her eyes.  “Yeah?”

Her door opened a crack and Dylan poked his head in.  “I heard shouting.”

Cosima sighed.  “It was nothing, I just got in trouble at school,” she said.  “No big deal.”

“Oh, ok.  I was just checking,” Dylan said.  “You want some food?”

“Maybe later.  Thanks, kid.”  Cosima smiled.  Her brother was pretty great, but she didn’t want to burden him with her problems right now.  Maybe another time.  She fell back into bed, too tired to cry anymore.  Eventually, she dozed off.

Cosima awoke at 4 in the morning.  A cold plate of dinner sat on her desk.  She smiled.  “Thanks, Dylan.”

The next morning, Cosima dragged herself out of bed and to school.  She was suspended so she didn’t care to get there early and talk to her friends.  When Cosima got there, she went to her locker to put some stuff away.  The moment she closed her locker door she was confronted by Alison.

“Cosima!  Where have you been?”

“Hey Alison,” Cosima muttered and walked away.

“Hey!” Alison called after and followed her.  “I have been waiting for you all morning and you show up five minutes to the bell?  I need to talk to you!”

“I’m sure it can wait, I gotta go.”  Cosima turned a corner toward the library, but Alison continued to follow her.

“Cosima!”  She kept walking.  “Cosima, I saw Delphine last night!”

Cosima froze in her tracks.  “You what?”  She spun around and found herself face to face with Alison.  “Delphine?  Is she ok?  What did she say?”

“ _Now_ you listen to me,” Alison huffed.

“Alison!”

“Ok, ok!  She was at the grocery store with her mother.  She made us talk in the bathroom so her mom wouldn’t see.”

“What did she say?”

“I’m getting there!” Alison said.  The morning bell rang, but Alison paid it no mind and continued.  “You’re very impatient.  She asked how you were, but I didn’t know because I you barely talked to me yesterday.  But she also said that she’s sorry, and she misses you.”

Cosima breathed a sigh of relief.  “So she’s not mad at me?”

Alison shook her head.  “What happened?” she asked, concerned.

Cosima shrugged.  “You were right.”

Alison nodded in understanding.  “I’m sorry.”

“Thanks,” Cosima smiled.  Alison, not usually one for physical affection, wrapped her arms around Cosima and quickly squeezed her in a comforting hug.  “Now get to class before you get mad at me for making you late.”

“Don’t you have class too?” Alison asked.

But Cosima didn’t answer.  She didn’t care that she would probably get in trouble for walking into the library a few minutes late.  Delphine didn’t hate her, and that was all that mattered.

One way or another, Cosima was going to find a way to the showcase that weekend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this doesn't resolve a lot and it's still a little angsty, but don't worry! There's only one chapter left, and then the epilogue. I'm going to try to finish within the week because we all need something nice after that finale. And after this is over, I've got a few other fics in the works! Cophine lives on! Thanks so much for all your support, and let me know your thoughts :)


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter! Epilogue also coming right after. I promised lots of fluff so here it is. Thanks for waiting, you all are amazing!

The week before the Duncan Showcase was the longest week of Delphine’s life.  After her mother walked in on Cosima, well, there was never a calm moment after.

Delphine felt horrible.  After her mom walked in on Cosima, she hadn’t even said anything in Cosima’s defense.  She didn’t even look at her girlfriend.  She was too scared of what her mother might do and thought it was best to just face the consequences, but as soon as Cosima left, Delphine regretted it immensely.

Oddly enough, her mother never brought up the scene she had walked in on that night in Delphine’s room.  Delphine wasn’t sure if she didn’t notice that they were kissing or if she was just in denial, and maybe if they didn’t talk about it, it didn’t happen.

But it did happen.

Delphine wanted nothing more than to kiss Cosima again and feel her warm embrace, even just hear the sound of her voice, but her mother was keeping her under lock and key, and every spare moment was filled with practice for the showcase.  There was no time for her to even figure out a way to speak to Cosima.

And apparently there was no time to talk about the kiss her mother had walked in on.

Delphine had no idea what her mother was thinking and it terrified her, so she did what she could: she kept her mouth shut and practiced piano.  But that didn’t stop her mind from wandering to thoughts of Cosima, and her fingers slipped across the keys, hitting the wrong notes.  Her mother would scold her and then she would get back to practicing.

The only relief she felt the entire week was when she ran into Alison at the grocery store.  She slipped out of her mother’s watchful eye to talk to Cosima’s friend, and _oh god_ she hoped that Cosima didn’t hate her.  Delphine didn’t even try to defend Cosima to her mother, she was too terrified.  She wouldn’t be surprised if Cosima never forgave her and never wanted to speak with her again.

Delphine cried in the bathroom with Alison, and Alison held her and comforted her.  Delphine was thankful Cosima had such lovely friends.

It was two days before the Duncan Showcase.  Delphine spent every waking hour practicing, and she spent every waking hour think about Cosima.  It wasn’t even noon and her mother already scolded her three times for messing up, and Delphine was getting fed up.

“What are you doing, Delphine?!” her mother exclaimed.  “You’re never going to stand out at the showcase if every other note is wrong!  Where is your head?”

“My head, mother, is with Cosima,” Delphine said boldly.  It was the first time either of them had brought up Cosima since the incident.  “Are we ever going to talk about it?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, dear,” her mother said, turning her nose away from Delphine.

“Maman,” Delphine started.  She took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she would say next.  “Cosima is my girlfriend.”

“Delphine—“

“No, maman, listen to me.  Cosima is my girlfriend.  I care for her very much and as much as you’d like to think it, she’s not the bad guy.”

“Delphine!” her mother began to raise her voice.  Delphine quieted.  “This—this girl just waltzed into your life and started putting ideas into your head and now you’re like an entirely different person!  I don’t want you to get hurt, chere.  She is manipulating you!”

“No she’s not! Maman, je l’aime!”

Just then, Delphine’s father walked into the room.  “What is going on?”  Both women froze and looked at Mr. Cormier.  “Delphine, shouldn’t you be practicing.”

“It would be a lot easier without maman breathing down my neck.”

“I wouldn’t have to breathe down your neck if you would focus.”

“I would focus if you would let me just talk about Cosima!”

“LADIES!”  Delphine and her mother freeze again.  “What is this about Cosima?”

Delphine’s mother is quick to answer.  “It’s nothing.  I’ve got this under control, Laurent, you can go.”

“You clearly don’t.”

“Wait….” Delphine pieced it together.  Her father didn’t know about Cosima.  “You didn’t tell him?”

“I told him that little hooligan broke into your bedroom—“

“But you didn’t tell him….” Delphine turned to her father.  “Papa, Cosima is my girlfriend.”

“What?”

Delphine nodded.  “Yes.  Maman walked in on us kissing and she refuses to talk about it.  All I want is to explain that none of this is Cosima’s fault.  _I_ was the one who asked her to come.”  Delphine’s eyes started to fill with frustrated tears as she turned back to her mother.  “ _You_ hate her for absolutely no reason!  You just can’t stand the thought of me not being a baby anymore!   Well I can’t stay under your wing forever!” she spat.

“Delphine!” her father interjected.  “Calmez-vous.”

“Papa, I love her,” Delphine stated.  “I love Cosima.  And keeping me away from her will only do more harm than good.”

Delphine’s father turns to his wife.  “Is this true?”

“She does not love the girl.  Delphine, you are only sixteen!”

Delphine feels more anger boil up inside her.  “Yes, I do!”

“Delphine!”  Her father doesn’t raise his voice often, but when he does, it’s scary.  Delphine shuts her mouth.  “Delphine, please go to your room.”

Delphine couldn’t believe this.  Her mother could be cruel sometimes, but her father?  Her father was always the one encouraging her to have fun, or meet people.  He even covered for Delphine with her mother that one time, when she went to meet Cosima’s friends.  She did not expect this from her father.

Delphine looked up at her dad, heartbroken.  A sob escaped from her lips as she ran up the stairs to her bedroom.  She threw herself on her bed and cried.

Delphine hated this.  She hated practicing for excruciating hours each day.  She hated playing these dry, boring, classical pieces and pretending that she liked it.  She hated how her parents still expected her to be someone she was five years ago.  She wished so much that she still enjoyed all her performances and showcase, but she just didn’t anymore.  She hated piano most of the time.  The only time she felt an inkling of what she used to feel while performing was when she was playing for herself, or for Cosima.  When she was writing music, and expressing herself in the only way she knew how.

Delphine sat up and wiped her eyes.  She sniffled, but got out of bed and went to her piano and turned it on.  She wasn’t going to let her parents get the best of her.  Delphine let her fingers fall to the keys; she tapped out a light tune and smiled.  Then she remembered the song she was working on the other day when Cosima came in.

She rummaged through a bunch of papers until she found it again.  Delphine put it on her music stand and started playing the chords she had written, singing softly under her breath.  She scratched out words and changed the lyrics, or jotted down notes on the side.  She worked on her song for so long she lost track of the time.

Eventually, Delphine was sure she had perfected it.  She was about to play through it when there was a knock at her bedroom door.

Delphine cleared her throat.  She quickly moved the papers with her song on them, hid them under other papers, and shoved them into a drawer.  “Quoi?”

“Delphine, it’s me.”  She heard her father’s voice from the other side of the door.  “May I come in?”

Delphine hesitated a moment.  “Oui,” she sighed.

The door creaked open, and her father walked inside.  He looked disappointed.  Delphine braced herself, expecting the worst.  He sat on her bed, and there was a thick silence that enveloped them.  Delphine was too intimidated to speak up, so she waited.

“I’m sorry about your mother,” he said.

Delphine was caught off guard.  She was expecting a scolding and more punishment.  But here was her father, _apologizing_ for her mother.

“W-what?” asked.  “Why?”

“Delphine,” he started.  “Your mother cares about you.  She really does.  And she honestly thinks what she does for you is what is best for you and for your future.”

Delphine nodded.  She wondered where he was going this.

“But she hasn’t noticed something that I have for a while.”

“What’s that?” Delphine asked.

“You’re not having fun anymore.”  Delphine sighed.  She knew he was right.  He knew he was right.  Her father smiled softly.  “I remember the way your face would light up when you would perform in front of people, when you would get that standing ovation.  And the passion is still there, and your love of piano, but the joy has faded.”

Delphine opened her mouth to respond, but he silenced her.  “Let me finish.”  She nodded.  I’ve only seen that happiness in your eyes twice lately.  When I caught you playing your own song, and when you are with Cosima.”

Delphine waited for him to continue, but he paused.  Delphine took her chance.  “I love her, papa,” she said.  She felt her eyes stinging with tears, and one fell down her cheek.

“I know, mon canard.”  He patted the spot next to him on the bed.  Delphine got out of her chair and sat next to her father.  She threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.  “I know you want to see Cosima,” he continued, “but you _did_ disobey your mother initially.  So just focus on the showcase right now, we want you to do well.  But, if you want, it can be your last performance.”

“Really, papa?” Delphine asked.  “What about maman?”

“She might be a little disappointed, but I will talk to her some more,” he said.  “I’m sure she’ll come around.”

Delphine nodded.  A small smile slipped onto her face.  “And—and Cosima?”

“I promise you will be able to see her.”  Delphine’s smile grew, and she was grinning ear to ear.  “ _After_ the showcase.”

Delphine’s eyes filled with tears again, and she hugged her father even more tightly than last time.  “Merci, papa!”

They embraced for a while, and Delphine was so happy.  When they broke apart, she stood up.

“I guess I should get back to practicing now,” she said.

“Non,” her father sat her back down.  “You are done for the night.  Just pick up where you left off tomorrow.”

Delphine nodded.  “Thank you,” she said again.

That night, Delphine slept almost as well as she did when Cosima was there.  And she slept with a smile on her face.

The next day, however, her mother was cold and distant.  Delphine assumed she would be upset, but she barely spoke two words to her the whole morning.  When her father came to check on her practice at lunch, Delphine had to ask, “Is maman mad at me?”

“Non, of course not,” he replied.  “But, as I said yesterday, it might take some time for her to get used to the idea of not performing anymore.”

“Oh.”

“She is a little tense right now, but we will talk more as a family after the showcase,” he assured.

“Ok.”

Delphine’s father kissed her on top of the head and then walked out, leaving her to continue practicing.

She found that today, her fingers flowed more easily across the keys, and she made less mistakes than she had the rest of the week.  She smiled.  At least she would get to see Cosima tomorrow at the Duncan Showcase.  That is, if Cosima still wanted to see her.

The rest of the hours of her practice were a blur, as Delphine perfected the number she was to perform at the showcase.

After dinner, she did not feel like playing the same music that was ingrained into her brain by now.  Instead she went upstairs and rummaged through her drawer to find the song she was working on the day before.  She played through the whole song, and sang it softly, a smile on her lips.

She played her song again, singing a little louder, more confident in the music she had written.

The next time she played it, she closed her eyes and pictured a face, Cosima’s face.  This song was for Cosima.

Then she got an idea.

A terrible idea, really, but it was so terrible it might actually work.

For the second night in a row, Delphine went to sleep with a smile on her face.

-

“Goodnight mom!  Goodnight dad!  Thanks for dinner!” Cosima called as she headed upstairs to her room

They looked at her, confused.  “You’re going to bed a little early,” her dad said.  “It’s only 6.”

“I’ve had a long day,” Cosima replied, faking a yawn.

Her parents shrugged.  Cosima continued up the stairs, walking casually, trying to hide her nerves.  As soon as she got into her bedroom, she rushed to her closet.  She needed something to wear…

Twenty minutes later, Cosima was freshly showered, wearing a maroon dress, and putting the finishing touches on her makeup when there was a knock at her bedroom door.

Cosima froze.  “Uhhhh…” She dropped her makeup and jumped into bed, pulling the covers up over her dress, and turned away from the door so her parents couldn’t see the makeup on her face.  “Yeah?” she called.

“Can I come in?”  It wasn’t her parents.  It was Dylan.

“Sure, kid.”

The door flew open.  Her brother trotted in and closed it behind him.

“You’re going to bed early,” he said.

Cosima shrugged.  “I’m tired.”

He glared at her.  “So you don’t want to play video games with me?”

“I said I’m tired,” Cosima repeated, “I just want to go to sleep.”

Dylan sighed, “Okay, fine…”  He got up to walk away, but before Cosima could register what was happening, he pulled her blankets away to reveal the Cosima’s dress.

“Dylan!”

“I knew it!” Dylan exclaimed.  “You’re sneaking out to go to Delphine’s performance!”

“No I’m not,” Cosima tried to deny.  Dylan wasn’t having it though, he glared at her again.  “You can’t tell mom and dad.  _Please_.”

“Tell them?” he said.  “I want to help!”

Cosima blinked, shocked.  “You what?”

“I want to help!  What can I do? I mean I can’t do much cause I’m only twelve but that is so COOL how often do you sneak out?  Can you teach me?  I don’t think I could ever get away with it.”

“Tell you what, bro,” Cosima said.  “You keep an eye on mom and dad, and if they ever come up to check on me cover for me.”  Dylan nodded enthusiastically.  “And if you do that, I will teach you how to sneak out.”

Dylan saluted.  “You got it sis.”

Cosima hesitated a moment, and then decided to betray the brother-sister clause of affection.  She pulled him into a tight hug.  “Thank you.”

“Hey!  I never said you could hug me!”  Dylan struggled out of her grip.  “Get off!”

Cosima laughed and let go of him.  “You got this, kid.”

“I know,” Dylan said, and stealthily backed out the door.

Cosima sighed in relief.  Her phone buzzed.  It was a text from Sarah.

_we’re outside. u ready?_

Cosima typed out a quick reply

_I’ll be down in a min_

Cosima stuffed some pillows under her blankets to make it look like she was sleeping.  She turned out the light, grabbed her bag, and glanced at herself in the mirror.  Satisfied, she opened the window and climbed barefoot onto the roof outside.  She closed the window but left just enough space so she could get back in later that night.

She climbed from her roof onto the wall, then jumped to the ground.  She saw Cal’s van parked down the street and climbed into the back.

“Thanks for the lift, Cal,” Cosima said.  She started putting on her shoes.

“Anything for love, Cosima,” Cal replied, and drove off.

“Shut up.”

There was lots of traffic, so it was about an hour to the concert hall.

Cal pulled over across the street.  “Cal you have no idea how wonderful you are,” Cosima said.  “I promise I will pay you back for gas.”

“I’m glad to help,” he said.  “What time do you think you’ll be done?”

“I wanna say 11 at the latest.  I’ll text you.”

Cal nodded.  Sarah reached over and clapped her on the shoulder.

“Go get your girl, Cos!”

Cosima smiled.  “Thanks.”

She took a deep breath and crossed the street to the concert.

It was crowded.  The concert was due to start in ten minutes so security was trying to round up the stragglers.  They scanned Cosima’s ticket and directed her inside.

She wasn’t in the very front, but she was a few rows back, hopefully close enough that Delphine could see her when she came on.  She checked the program.  Delphine was the second to last act.

The lights dimmed and Cosima sighed.  It was going to be a long night.

Thankfully this was a showcase of modern performers, so there was a variety of acts, and only a handful of them put Cosima to sleep.  There were dancers, performing everything from ballet to hip hop to interpretive.  There were actors performing monologues, singing numbers from musical theatre, and a girl who played top 40s hits on her violin.  That one was pretty cool.

By intermission Cosima was getting antsy.  She needed to get up and stretch her legs.  As she was walking out, she heard a voice call her name.  “Cosima!”

She recognized that voice.  It was none other than Delphine’s father.  She didn’t want to face the parents from hell quite yet, so she pretended to not hear him and continued to walk out.

Unfortunately, Mr. Cormier had followed her.

“Cosima!” he called.  She couldn’t pretend to ignore him any longer and turned around.

“Oh, Mr. Cormier, I didn’t see you!” Cosima said.

“How are you doing, Cosima?” he asked.

Cosima blinked, confused.  “Uhh, I’m fine,” she said.  “How… are you?”

“I am well, thank you.”

Cosima took a breath.  “How’s Delphine?” she asked nervously, and hoped that she wasn’t pushing her luck.

“She misses you,” he said.

“She does?” Cosima asked.

Mr. Cormier nodded.  “Listen, Cosima, I know we aren’t on the best terms right now, but Delphine cares for you a lot.”

Cosima started to speak, but her voice cracked.  She cleared her throat.  “I—um, I care about her too.”

“I know you do,” he said.  “If it’s ok with you, I would like to start over.”

“Really?” Cosima gasped.  This was not what she expected.  She expected to get reprimanded for daring to show her face at this recital or to be anywhere near his daughter.  It was…pleasantly surprising.

He nodded again.  “My wife… may still need some convincing,” he said tentatively.  “But she will come around eventually.  I know she will.”  He sighed and looked away.  “You are a good kid Cosima.  I’m glad Delphine found you.”

“Um, thank you, sir.”

The lights flashed signaling everyone to make their way back inside.

“We should go,” Mr. Cormier said, and gestured back to the arena.

They walked back to their seats, apparently the Cormiers were only sitting a few rows ahead of Cosima.

The rest of the concert was a blur.  Cosima was in shock from her encounter with Delphine’s father.  She had some hope that she would be able to work things out with Delphine and her mother too.

It wasn’t until Delphine Cormier was announced to take the stage that Cosima’s focus returned.

Delphine walked into the light and Cosima’s breath was taken away.  She looked beautiful.  Her golden curls were splayed against her shoulders, and she wore a blue dress that made her stand out.  Cosima wondered how many other people were thinking about how beautiful she is.

Instead of immediately beginning to play, Delphine adjusted the microphone.

“Hello,” she said.  This was odd.  No other performer had said anything before their acts.  “I am Delphine, and I would like to dedicate this song to someone special, who I hope is in the audience right now.”

Delphine looked into the crowd.  She saw her parents, who waved.  She smiled.  Her eyes scanned a little further and she met Cosima’s gaze.  Delphine’s mouth fell open.  Cosima smiled, and waved.  A moment later, Delphine’s small smile turned into a splitting grin.  Cosima blushed.

The performer turned back to the piano and her fingers hovered over the keys.  She took a deep breath.  Cosima’s heart beat a little faster.

And suddenly Delphine was playing.  Her fingers glided across the keys, but it wasn’t the same opening riff that Cosima knew she had been practicing.  A moment later Delphine began to sing and it was like the whole world didn’t exist.

It was like they were back in Delphine’s bedroom and she was playing just for Cosima.

Cosima wasn’t familiar with the song she was playing.  It must have been something new that she wrote.  But she knew that she couldn’t get enough of the sound of Delphine’s voice and her fingers on the keys and the look on Delphine’s face while she played.

It was a little different from what most people were doing at the showcase, but that’s what the Duncan showcase was about, right?  Doing something different.

After the song there was a moment of silence where it was hard to tell if anyone was going to clap or not.  Cosima looked around, stood up, and started clapping.  Slowly, people joined her.  First the Cormiers, and then everyone else, until eventually the entire auditorium was giving Delphine a standing ovation.  Cosima caught Delphine’s eye again, and blew her a kiss.  Delphine grinned.

Soon Delphine had to leave the stage for the last performer.  While people began to sit down, Cosima quietly slipped out of her seat and into the hall.  She walked around, searching for the stage door so she could greet Delphine the moment she was out.  Eventually Cosima swallowed her pride and asked a security guard to point her in the right direction.

She found the stage door just as a familiar blonde head exited from it.

“Delphine?” Cosima called.

Delphine spun around and when she saw Cosima, she smiled.  Cosima would never get tired of that smile.

Cosima couldn’t wait any longer.  She ran up to Delphine and kissed her.  They hugged and kissed and spun around, giggling and smiling.

“You were amazing,” Cosima said when they broke apart, but she kept her arms firmly wrapped around Delphine’s neck.

“Non,” Delphine said, blushing.

“Yes, you were!” Cosima exclaimed.  “That song?  Wow!”

“I’m glad you liked it,” Delphine said.  “It was for you.”

Cosima didn’t know what to say so she kissed her again.  “I love you.”

“Je t’aime.”  Delphine smiled.  “I just hope my mother isn’t too upset.  She didn’t know I was going to do that.”

“What?!”

Delphine nodded.  “I talked about it with my dad and he said it was a good idea, but I don’t know, I’m still nervous.”

“If she didn’t love it, she’s crazy.”

“You’re not talking about me, are you?” came another voice from behind Cosima.

Delphine’s parents approached them.  Reluctantly, Cosima removed her arms from around Delphine.

“No, I was just—“

“Maman,” Delphine interrupted.  “I know that isn’t what I practiced and I understand if you are upset with me.  I talked about it with dad and he said I should do it.  I just wanted to show you what I like and that I _am_ good at it.  I hope you can forgive me.”

“Delphine,” her mother started.  “Sweetie, that was beautiful.”

“Really?” Delphine asked, tears in her eyes.

Mrs. Cormier nodded.  “I know I have been hard on you in the past but it is only because I love you and I want you to succeed.  But I can tell that you worked very hard on that song, and you had fun performing it.  I’m so proud of you, Delphine.”

Delphine couldn’t hold back anymore as the tears spilled from her eyes, and she threw her arms around her mother, hugging her.  “Thank you, maman.”

Mrs. Cormier then turned to Cosima.  “And Cosima.”

Cosima gulped.

“Thank you for coming.  I know your support means a lot to my daughter.”

Cosima nodded.  “Yes, absolutely, I am happy to be here.”

“Delphine, honey,” Mr. Cormier interjected.  “Congratulations, mon canard.”  He pecked her on the cheek.  “Your mother and I are going to wait in the car, be out as soon as you can.”

Delphine hugged him.  “Yes, merci.”

She and Cosima were left alone once again.

“That was weird,” Delphine said, after they were gone.

“A little,” Cosima said.  “But, um, Delphine, your dad talked to me.”

“What?  When did he talk to you?”

“At intermission,” Cosima replied.  “He saw me and talked to me, and I mean, I think he’s ok with this.  Us.  And he said that your mom would come around eventually.”

“He did?”

Cosima nodded.  “So, if you want, we can do this thing for real.  No more sneaking around and hiding.”

“For real?”

“Only if you want.”

Delphine smiled.  “Of course I want to!  Why wouldn’t I?  I love you, Cosima.”

Cosima grinned.  “Je t’aime.”

Delphine laughed.

“That bad, huh?” Cosima asked.

“Your French could use some work,” Delphine replied.  “I could always tutor you.”

“I dunno, that might be a little distracting.”

Cosima felt Delphine’s hand slide into hers and their fingers intertwined.  She squeezed Delphine’s hand and hoped that she never had to let go again.


	13. Epilogue

NINE MONTHS LATER

Cosima had all her belongings piled in the back of her truck.  She kissed her parents goodbye and ruffled Dylan’s hair, who swatted her hand away and glared at her.

“Don’t forget to call,” her mother said.

“You’re coming home for Thanksgiving, right?” her father asked.

“Can I have her room?” Dylan said.

Cosima rolled her eyes.  “I’m not dying, I’m just going to college.”

“I know, and you’re going to be great!” her mom called.  “Give Delphine our love!”

“I will,” Cosima said.  And with one last wave she climbed into her truck and drove off.  She drove down these familiar streets for the last time for a while, and parked in front of Delphine’s house.  Before she could ring the doorbell, Mrs. Cormier burst through the door.

“Finally you are here!  We’ve been waiting, we’ve had Delphine’s things ready for some time now!”

“Sorry Mrs. C!  You know me, kind of always late.”

“Stop talking and grab a box!”

“Yes ma’am.”

Cosima ran inside to see Mr. Cormier and Delphine carrying boxes outside.  Cosima grabbed a few more and followed them.

“Thank you for driving Delphine, Cosima,” Mr. Cormier said.

“Oh, it’s my pleasure,” Cosima replied.  “I’m just glad we’re going to school so close to each other.”

“I agree,” Mrs. Cormier interjected.  “If Delphine was going to be all by herself in the big city I would be terrified, but I know that she has you.”

“Yes she does.”

Delphine’s parents ran inside to grab more boxes, leaving Delphine and Cosima alone outside.

“Have I said hello yet?” Cosima asked.

Delphine pretended to think for a moment and shook her head.  “Hmm, I don’t think so.”

Cosima stood on her tip toes and gave her a soft kiss.  “Hi,” she whispered.

“Hello,” Delphine giggled.

“Alright kids,” Mr. Cormier called from the doorway.  “Just two more boxes!  Do you want to grab them?”

“I got it!” Cosima called.  She ran inside and picked up the last two boxes.  As she stashed them in the back of her truck, Delphine was hugging her parents goodbye.

Cosima also walked up to the Cormiers.  She approached Delphine’s father.  “Look out for her in LA, will you?”

“Yes sir,” Cosima nodded.  She held out her hand for a handshake, but he pulled her into a hug instead.  Cosima smiled.

“Cosima,” Mrs. Cormier said to her.  “Thank you.”  She also gave Cosima a quick hug.

Cosima climbed into her truck and waited for Delphine to finish goodbyes with her parents.  Soon enough, Delphine was in the seat next to her and they were waving goodbye.

Cosima turned to her girlfriend.  “So, are you ready?”

“We are just starting university, Cosima.”

“I know, but it’s still exciting!” Cosima exclaimed.

“Yes,” Delphine giggled, “it is.”

Cosima was off to UCLA to study biology, while Delphine would attend USC for music composition, which Delphine’s mother only agreed to after a lot of convincing.  Delphine laced their fingers together as Cosima took off down the 101.  They both had big dreams and wanted to leave their mark on the world, and they would do it together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you all so much for sticking with this story despite my extremely long breaks with no warning! I hope you all enjoyed the ride and I hope you like the ending. Thanks for all your feedback and comments because honestly they mean so much to me, and I love hearing what you think of the story! It's been a fun trip but it had to come to an end eventually, but don't worry, more fics are definitely in the works! If you liked this story and want to talk to me about it or about anything else feel free to follow me on tumblr, my URL is tatianathevampireslayer. Again, thank you all so much for reading and commenting, I probably wouldn't have finished this story if some of you weren't so invested :)


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